The Dirty Secrets of Processed Cereal: Make Your Own...

UPDATE: I discovered a new cereal using honey roasted chickpeas! They are delicious and stay fairly crunchy up to the last bite. Check out my Crunchy Roasted Chickpea Cereal!

Hello everybody! Here's a quick and nourishing cereal that I whipped up the other morning using my 'Ready & Soaked' Oats... so yummy! It looks somewhat like granola, but I think it's not :o)

I am loving having these oats in hand... made cookies and now this cereal, I have more ideas brewing in my head! I woke up not really feeling like having eggs or toast or anything special. Looking around my fridge, I saw the oats and this idea popped in my head... have some cereal!

It has been SO LOOONG since I had a bowl of cereal.

Now, if most of you are following the Nourishing Traditions diet... you know that cereal is NOT the ideal breakfast. Even if it is organic and whole grain... it is still processed food that is hard for the body to digest. Not exactly a nice way to "wake up" your digestive system for the day. Most of you have read the importance of soaking your grains before consuming to increase nutritional value, decrease the number of antinutrients and make it more digestible. Here's a sound bite from a great article by Sally Fallon:

Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o's, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape, which is then carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.

In his book Fighting the Food Giants, Paul Stitt tells us that the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid, lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

The only advances made in the extrusion process are those that will cut cost regardless of how these will alter the nutrient content of the product. Cereals are a multi-billion dollar business, one that has created huge fortunes.

With so many people eating breakfast cereals, you might expect to find some studies on the effect of extruded cereals on animals or humans. Yet, there are no published studies at all in the scientific literature. - Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry

The article continues on by sharing about 2 separate studies that were never published... something wrong here?! In both studies, rats who lived on processed cereals lived shorter lives than those who didn't. In fact, during one study... they discovered that the rats who ate the cardboard box that the cereal came in lived longer than the rats who ate the cereal! Honestly, we would be better off throwing out the cereal and eating the box it came in... Read on:

Let me tell you about two studies which were not published. The first was described by Paul Stitt who wrote about an experiment conducted by a cereal company in which four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water and synthetic vitamins and minerals. A second group received puffed wheat (an extruded cereal), water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given only water. A fourth set was given nothing but water and chemical nutrients. The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on this diet. The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived about two months. The animals on water alone lived about a month. But the company's own laboratory study showed that the rats given the vitamins, water and all the puffed wheat they wanted died within two weeks---they died before the rats that got no food at all. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock.

Results like these suggested that there was something actually very toxic in the puffed wheat itself! Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the pressure of the puffing process may produce chemical changes, which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance.

Another unpublished experiment was carried out in the 1960s. Researchers at University of Michigan were given 18 laboratory rats. They were divided into three groups: one group received corn flakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the corn flakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the corn flakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The last corn flake rat died the day the first box rat died.) But before death, the corn flake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. The startling conclusion of this study is that there was more nourishment in the box than there was in the corn flakes.

This experiment was actually designed as a joke, but the results were far from funny. The results were never published and similar studies have not been conducted.

Most of America eats this kind of cereal. In fact, the USDA is gloating over the fact that children today get the vast majority of their important nutrients from the nutrients added to these boxed cereals.

Cereals sold in the health food stores are made by the same method. It may come as a shock to you, but these whole grain extruded cereals are probably more dangerous than those sold in the supermarket, because they are higher in protein and it is the proteins in these cereals that are so denatured by this type of processing.

There are no published studies on the effects of these extruded grains on animals or humans, but I did find one study in a literature search that described the microscopic effects of extrusion on the proteins. "Zeins," which comprise the majority of proteins in corn, are located in spherical organelles called protein bodies. During extrusion, these protein bodies are completely disrupted and deformed. The extrusion process breaks down the organelles, disperses the proteins and the proteins become toxic. When they are disrupted in this way, you have absolute chaos in your food, and it can result in a disruption of the nervous system. (bold & italic areas made by mare)

- Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry

I don't know about most of you, but back when I ate cereal... I would always feel tired and sick to my stomach afterwards. Even when I switched over to organic cereals, I still felt yucky and sometimes worse then before. The only "cereal" that is an exception is Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal, which I've tried and enjoyed occasionally... but it is a bit pricey for us.

Now, I know why I felt so bad after eating cereal... my body was screaming at me to stop. eating. that. stuff! I don't miss cereal anymore because I've learned to live without it and am now enjoying more nourishing breakfasts like crepes, smoothies, oatmeal, muffins, pancakes, fritatas & more! What do I need cereal for?!

Ah... yes... well... I know most will say it is... convenient... my hated word. I've learned that oatmeal can be made in minutes if soaked overnight. Time-wise, how is frying a few eggs any different from prepping a bowl of cereal?

Really, which is more important... convenience or nourishment? But there is a way to make nourishing food convenient...

So, here I am... happy to share with you a nourishing cereal that left me feeling satisfied and energized all morning! It is so simple that it can be labeled "convenient" and you can totally create your own mix ins. That morning I made a mixture of dehydrated almonds, raisins, coconut flakes, cinnamon, freshly ground flaxseed and raw honey with the 'Soaked & Ready' Oats. I warmed up my raw milk and poured it over my cereal, creating an almost "instant" oatmeal! It wasn't much different from eating oatmeal porridge. You can use cold milk... which I made last night for a night snack and it was perfect!

Quick, Raw & Nourishing Homemade Cereal

• 'Soaked & Ready' Oats
• Dehydrated almonds (you can use regular)
• Coconut flakes
• Cinnamon
• Freshly ground flaxseed
• Raw honey
• Your choice of milk

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle raw honey over the mixture and stir some more. Pour your choice of milk (warm or cold) over the cereal and ENJOY!

Be creative or make your favorite!

A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
while the fool feeds on trash.

- A true Proverb

This is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday...

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but I will receive a small commission. The commissions I receive goes to support my family, our ministry and helps keep my blog going. Thank you for your willingness to use the links to support us & help me keep Just Making Noise going!

Read More

Sweet Wholesome Wednesday Special Guest: Divina Pe

Hello everyone! Today I have a special guest sharing a wholesome, beautiful tart that looks simply heavenly! Please welcome Divina Pe...

I was delighted when Divina accepted my invitation to be my special guest... especially my first special guest! Divina is a sweet gal from the Philippines and has a wonderful, delicious, wholesome blog called Sense & Serendipity. Please make sure to stop by there and check it out! But before you do that... fill up on some sweet eye-candy below :o)

When Marillyn mentioned on her blog that she would like guest bloggers for her Sweet Wholesome Wednesday, I was slightly hesitant to volunteer but I believe my inner voice just spoke to my heart that I should do this. I honestly didn’t know what to do but I am sure I want to do something with coconut. We have coconuts trees here at home but most of them have gone to waste. We normally ask one of our helpers Cesar to climb the tree and pick the coconuts for us. We usually like to eat them young and drink the coconut water while they’re still sweet. But for the past few years, Cesar cannot climb the tree anymore and nobody knows how to do it. We do ask help from the outside but they’re not always available all the time. So, we just wait until the coconuts are old and brown before they fell off the tree. At that stage, the coconuts are now hard and firm and they are best grated and serve with a variety of native sticky rice desserts or they are squeezed out through a cheesecloth to obtain pure coconut cream and milk.

The coconut tree is one of the most useful trees on the planet. Every stage of the coconut growth has its own use. Nothing is gone to waste. You can produce so many by-products from a single coconut tree and that’s what local producers are doing right now. But even in the land of coconut trees, I still couldn’t find coconut flour, even coconut flakes and coconut chips. They probably export most of them to other countries. I just found that the coconut oil from Tropical Traditions (and they have the coconut flour) is actually from the Philippines.

We are truly blessed with coconuts trees and they are beneficial and indispensable in cooking, baking and as a healing ingredient. And you might also noticed that so many typhoons have passed by for so many years, many properties where destroyed, some plants have been washed out, a few tree branches have been broken and fell down, but guess where the coconut trees are? They’re still standing tall and steadfast despite the strong winds. What a miracle tree. And I should probably make my own coconut flour.

There’s a recipe called “buko pie” (coconut pie in English) which are made with fresh young coconut meat, condensed milk and lots of cornstarch. But the problem with this pie is that nobody likes it at home. Probably because it’s way too sweet and the texture is somewhat pasty. I wasn’t sure I wanted to make this.

For this tart, I’m using a combination of fresh coconut meat from both young and mature coconuts. Making a tart from coconuts is quite challenging because the flesh is somewhat bland for a tart to start with. It’s either you end up with a tasteless or ultra sweet tart. However, if you’re using dried coconut flakes, they will have the chance to caramelize while they’re baking in the oven. You can also toast your coconut flakes before adding it to your filling mixture.

I also added another layer of flavor in the form of macapuno preserves. Macapuno (aka coconut sport or mutant coconut) is similar to a coconut except that the macapuno meat is thicker with almost no water at all. They’re normally grated, cook with sugar and bottled as a preserves to be used in different Filipino desserts. I haven’t seen a macapuno so the best thing I could get right now is to buy some bottled macapuno preserve which is simmered with muscovado sugar and water. But the fresh macapuno itself or in combination with the coconut would be great for a pie or tart.

This is obviously not a low-fat, low-calorie tart. But, fear not, butter, eggs and coconuts are good for you in moderate amounts. Just don’t eat the whole thing. And coconuts are considered one of the top 10 super foods in the whole world.

Coconut Macaroon Tart

Sweet Pastry Crust (Pate Sucree):

• 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3 tbsp coconut sugar
• ½ tsp fine grain unrefined sea salt
• 80 grams unsalted butter
• 2-3 tbsp cold water
• 1 egg yolk

Coconut Filling:

• ½ vanilla bean
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
• ½ cup muscovado sugar
• 1 ½ cups fresh grated coconut (from mature coconuts)
• 1 cup fresh coconut strips (from young coconuts)

• ¼ cup macapuno preserves (optional) or other preserves or jam of your choice

To start the sweet pastry crust, first beat together egg yolk and water. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir with a spoon. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the flour, breaking the pieces with your fingertips. Rub the butter into the flour until it has a sandy appearance. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and combine evenly and quickly until the dough just comes together. Lightly flour the work surface and knead the dough very lightly. The dough should be smooth and pliable. Press into a ball, cover with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To roll the crust, remove the dough from the fridge, dust your counter top and rolling pin with a little bit of the whole-wheat pastry flour. Roll the dough bigger than a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base about ¼-inch thick, making a ¼ turn of the dough while rolling to prevent to dough from sticking to the work surface. Wrap the dough around the surface of the rolling pin, lift it and unroll it gently over the tin, taking care not to stretch it. Let the dough rest over the edge overlapping the sides. Gently lift the edges of the dough with one hand and press it well onto the bottom of the tin. Roll the pin over the top of the tin, pressing down to cut off the excess dough. With your fingers, press the dough evenly up the sides, from the bottom, to increase the height of the rim. Prick the base of the shell with a fork to prevent air bubbles forming during baking. Chill for at least 15 minutes, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit degrees.

Bake blind the pastry crust in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry is set and slightly browned. Cool slightly. Then, lower the temperature oven to 350 Fahrenheit degrees.

To prepare the coconut filling, first slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds, using the back of the knife. Transfer to a bowl and whisk with the eggs, coconut milk and salt. Whisk in the muscovado sugar until combined. Then stir in the shredded coconut meat.

When the pastry has cooled down, spread a thinly layer of the coconut preserve (a little bit less than the photo) at the bottom. Then scrape the mixture into the tart shell and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the tart is golden brown, making sure that the top is caramelized and set in the center, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely.

To serve the tart, loosen the edges of the pan with an offset spatula and gently slide the tart off the base. Slice and serve.

I like to chill them first before slicing and I find that they taste better the following day.

Enjoy.

Read More

Wild Gooseberries & Cacao Nibs 'Bite Size' Cookies

Here are the vegan-licious cookies I told you about a couple posts ago. These yummy gals are egg-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and can be gluten-free if you use GF oats. They are also full of yummy goodness from coconuts, ripe bananas, almonds, cinnamon and my 'Soaked & Ready' Oats. The gals were a bit crumbling, but I think I could've let them sit in the oven a little longer to prevent that. But we ate them in less than a day... it felt & tasted great going down! I found these at 101 Cookbook and followed the recipe, but added dried gooseberries & sweetened cacao nibs instead of chocolate...so tart and delicious!

If you have your 'Soaked & Ready' Oats in hand... go and make these now! These literally took me less than 30 minutes to mix together and about 15 minutes in the oven... so you can enjoy these gals in less then an hour! If you just have regular rolled oats... you can totally use them, but you'll be missing out the benefits of soaking the oats beforehand. Also, you can make your own almond meal by simply chopping whole almonds in your food processor till they develop the texture of sand. Don't go too far or you'll have almond butter instead! I used my soaked & dehydrated almonds for these, but you can use regular almonds.

Wait, before you go off to make these... I am excited to share with you that I've been nominated for The DivineCaroline Love! This Site Award. So, if you do love this blog... could you all take a moment (you'll have to fill out a form, quick & free) and vote for my blog? I would GREATLY appreciate it! There's a badge on the upper right sidebar that you can click on and it will take you directly there to vote. If I remember correctly, the voting is over on December 4th. So make sure you go and do it before you forget... also, let your friends know about it too if they Love! my blog! Thanks so much!

Now, go make those cookies and enjoy!! Let me know what you think ;o)

Wild Gooseberries & Cacao Nibs 'Bite Size' Cookies

• 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or olive oil)
• 2 cups 'Soaked & Ready' Oats or regular oats
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped dried gooseberries
• 4-6 Tbsp. sweetened cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla, and coconut oil... set aside. In another bowl whisk together the 'Soaked & Ready' oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the gooseberries and cacao nibs.

The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, but that's fine. Drop dollops of the dough, an inch apart, onto a parchment lined (or buttered) baking sheet.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Every oven is different... I will let it bake just past 15 minutes next time I make these. Make sure it is nicely browned in the bottom before taking out. Enjoy them warm :o)

Go and enjoy! Remember to check back tomorrow for Sweet Wholesome Wednesday... I have a Special Guest sharing a beautiful tart with all of you!

These cookies are shared on Tuesday Twister

Read More

Sweet Buckwheat Crepes w/ Mango, Banana, Creamy Honey Cheese & Blackberry Syrup

Good morning everybody! How many of you would like some sweet crepes in bed for breakfast? Oo, I'm sure many of you would love that!! Anyway, these gals are so easy and delicious! I really like the "blender-style" by Sue Gregg... it really makes it easier if you don't have a grain mill, but I do have a Family Grain Mill now and LOVE it. The Lord blessed us with the finances to purchase one through the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 PLUS we got an extra discount on the already discounted price! I am so grateful that we finally have one after 3 years of waiting and looking. God is good!

Anyway, the crepes were wonderfully earthy, chewy and flavorful (& gluten-free!!). Topping it with the Creamy Honey Cheese, fresh mangos, fresh bananas and then finalizing it with blackberry sauce dribbled on top made it heavenly! This was my first time making crepes and I'm really pleased with how well they turned out.

Even though it was my first time making these gals... it certainly wasn't my first time eating crepes. I have childhood memories of my mom making homemade sweet crepes for Christmas brunch. I recall slathering them with fresh jam, fresh fruit, powdered sugar and LOTS of syrup. I also have sweet, young memories of my favorite Swedish grandmother (I'm her namesake) making her special Swedish pancakes whenever we would visit. Sadly, she past away when I was 10... I really wish she were alive because I can imagine us whipping up yummy Swedish dishes in the kitchen together right now! Someday soon I must try my hand at making her Swedish pancakes and find a traditional Swedish cookbook. I'll have to explore my other side too, which is German... my grandpa was a great cook too. I guess I do come from a line of cooks on my mom's side of the family. I certainly didn't get it from my mom, sorry mom, but thankfully it still came through her to me :o)

Alright... back to making crepes, I used my cast iron pan to make these crepes. I know most people use a non-stick skillet, but I prefer to stay away from those. I found that keeping the pan oiled and hot did the trick. You'll need to be patience because the first time takes a little longer than the rest, but once you get past the first one... just make sure you keep rubbing oil on the pan in between making each crepe.

You can make these gals savory or sweet. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on what you chose to fill them with. I haven't tried the savory style yet, but will soon enough :o)

Buckwheat Crepes (Blender-style & Soaked)

• 3/4 cup kefir, cultured buttermilk or water minus 2 Tbsp & add 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. coconut oil (or your choice of oil)
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour or 1/3 cup whole buckwheat
• 1 egg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. honey (for sweet crepes)
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon (for sweet crepes)

Combine kefir (or other), oil and grain in the blender. Blend for about 3 minutes on high or just 30 seconds if using flour. Cover blender and let batter stand overnight at room temp to break down the phytates. After soaking, add egg, salt, honey & cinnamon (if making sweet style). Blend till well mixed.

Rub your cast iron pan with oil and get it nicely hot, but not smokey. Have a napkin ready for rubbing more in between crepes. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan and quickly tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly to the edges. Mix your batter each time before making each new crepe. Cook till edges are browned and loosen along the edges with a thin table knife or spatula. Turn over crepe and cook for about 30 seconds. Turn over onto a plate and keep it warm with a light towel covering it. Rub more oil on pan and continue till batter is used up.

Top with Creamy Honey Cheese, your choice of fruit and syrup. For the blackberry syrup... I cooked the berries with a little water till they were mush, added arrowroot powder and boiled it gently till it thicken. Then I added honey and pour the mixture in my blender. Gave it a whirl till smooth and poured into a jar to serve. Simple, tart and sweet!

The crepes freeze well (great emergency breakfast meal) and can be warmed up in a toaster oven if you have one. We also like to make nut butter and mango butter rolls with the leftovers for snacks... muwah... delish!

Remember to enjoy your weekend!

Read More

My 101st Post: 'Soaked & Ready' Oats, Rockin' Baby Sling Winner (15% discount) & MORE!!

Whew! This past week has been very busy and fruitful! I've been so preoccupied with things around the house that I failed to notice that my previous post was my 100th! Nevertheless, I figure I could still have fun and be different by celebrating my 101st post... WOO HOO! Come on everybody... cheer with me! Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!! Woo hoo!! :o)

For this celebration I want to share an easy, make-ahead preparation of soaking & dehydrating rolled oats to use for cookies and such. For those who might not know, Oats are the highest in phytic acid and must be soaked before consumed... so all the wonderful minerals can be absorbed properly. I made large batch of this a few weeks ago and this is great to have on hand whenever you have the sudden urge to make cookies. Don't you ever have urges like that, but are unable to make cookies right then and there because you have to soak em' and all? I do!! So, after looking around and thinking what would work... I finally found a solution from a great food blog: Cheeseslave. She had Healthy Soaked Oatmeal Cookies and I saw that she would soak & dry the oats before proceeding on with the rest of the recipe. Believe me, I torpedoed straight to the kitchen to do just that! I didn't make the cookies because I do not have sprouted flour and haven't ventured out to try sprouting my own grains... yet.

Anyway. I know, I know... you all are probably thinking I should be celebrating with ice cream or something festive than old, boring oats. BUT it is worth it because I actually made cookies with these 'Soaked & Ready' Oats yesterday and they were OH SO GOOD! My family couldn't stop eating them... we ate it all in 1 day! PLUS, the cookies were vegan... yes, totally veganlious! Anyway, I'll share those with you another day... right now let's just focus on soaking and drying those oats so you can make them within minutes after getting the recipe, I promise! Okay, is this good enough now? Alright!!

'Soaked & Ready' Oats

• 4 cups rolled oats (NOT instant)
• 4 cups filtered water
• 8 Tbsp. whey, lemon/lime juice, kefir or yohgurt

Warm the 4 cups of water in a saucepan (you don't need a microwave) till warm to touch. Do not let it boil!

Pour the oats, warm water and acid medium (whey, etc..) into a large glass bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl with a towel or plate & let it sit overnight in your oven or on your counter (wherever you have space).

Important: Let it sit for 8 - 24 hours... 12 hours is okay, but I always soak mine for 24 hours to reduce the phytic acid as much as possible.

Spread the oats on parchment paper in your tray or cookie pan (for oven drying) and put in dehydrator set on the highest temp (if you have that option... I don't) until completely dry. It can take anywhere from 6 to 24 hours... depending on your dehydrator. You can dry the oats in your oven set on the lowest temperature.

When the oats are dried, you will be able to break them into chunks. Put the chunks in your food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely ground (kinda like oatmeal flakes). Don't grind it fine unless you want oat flour.

Pour the oats in a sealed container and store in your fridge or in a cool, dark place. Ta-daaa! There you go... you have 'Soaked & Ready' Oats for satisfying your urge to make cookies! Remember, you can make this however much you want. When I first made these, I used 8 cups of rolled oats. Just make sure you add everything up correctly.

Now keep stay in touch for those veganlicious cookies!!!! UPDATE: Check out my step by step videos on making the S&R Oats!

Now, the announcement you've all been waiting for! The winner for the beautiful Organic Rockin' Baby Sling iiisssssssss.....

Kim Ripley a.k.a stOOpidgErL!!

"My baby isn't here yet but she will be in December. I'm really looking forward to 'wearing' her. It looks like a great way to bond and very convenient too!"

Double congratulations on your win and soon-to-arrive baby girl, Kim!! I clicked on your link from the comments area and found your AWESOME blog & etsy store. Gals, you gotta check her creative, excellent photography & fun jewelry! Ooooh, I really want to buy something from her! :o)

Thank you everybody for entering and sharing your reasons why you enjoy babywearing. There were many good, consistent answers about babywearing being great for cuddling, bonding, safety, hand-free, soothing, getting things done, convenient, closeness, moving around uneven terrain, keeping baby happy, security, comfortable and my favorite..."I love babywearing for so many reasons, but none more so than having my baby close to me - just being able to turn my head and put my cheek against theirs or give them a kiss at any moment - ah!"... so TRUE and important! I am actually liking my sling more and more! Now that I am use to it... I find it very comfortable. That's a good thing!!

Okay, please don't click off too quickly in disappointment! I've got a great deal for the rest of you... a 15% off discount on any sling or pouch at Rockin' Sling Baby! I think that's great deal... just make sure you enter "15%" at the checkout box. Now go look around, they've got some really beautiful unique styles there!

My life this past week... whew!

This past Friday and Saturday I soaked & dehydrated almonds and dehydrated pineapple & papaya. I love the smells that wafted through our house! Especially through the night! My favorite is when we are dehydrating chamomile for tea... ahhh, smells soooo good! By the way, I am on the look out for a good dehydrator with a price tag that won't bite our budget. Mine is definitely heading its way out to the dehydrator heaven :o(

Saturday morning, we had Kid's Club in the neighborhood next to us and it was very simple, but GREAT. It was just me and my hubby along with the girls. Usually my mom and a friend would be there to help, but they weren't available. We had a great time playing games, read a Bible story, sang songs and just hanging out till past noon.

Sunday, had a GREAT day with the girls and my hubby! What more could I want?!

Monday, between taking care of the girls, washing diapers, letting the chickens out & feeding them, playing with the girls, hanging diapers, washing clothes, reading to the girls, hanging clothes, preparing lunch, bringing in the still wet clothes in before it rained, feeding all of us and more... I made about a pound of cultured butter! This is my second round and I feel much more confident! I finally found a great source of fresh organic milk AND cream. The other farmer I was buying our milk from couldn't (wouldn't, really) give me just cream so I could make butter. Anyway, I am happy with our new milk connection. I could not believe how much butter and buttermilk I got out of 1 liter of cream... Woo hoo! I want to do another post and this time... use our flip camera and video the process. Really, it is so easy if you have a good food processor or blender. OR you can put some in quart jars and have your kids shake it all over the place! My girls aren't quite ready for that, but when they are... I will make sure video it and share it with y'all :o)

Tuesday, my parents finally arrived home safely from Panama. They did a seminar and had a great time... they brought with them some seriously RAW honey and RAW coconut oil produced by a Tico in Dominical, Costa Rica. The honey is extremely different from anything I've had and DELICIOUS! It has such a heavy, darkly sweet flavor... hard to describe. The bees are wild from the mountains... oh yummy! The coconut oil has an interesting toasty, nutty flavor and very intense. I am really happy to finally find a local source of coconut oil that actually tastes good, but it is a bit pricey for the 3 small bottles. We've been bringing down coconut oil from the States because I've had no luck finding good tasting coconut oil around here (they all tasted either like gasoline or tar, ugh!). Below, you are seeing my little Tabi playing with the bottles... she just wouldn't leave them alone long enough for me to take pictures. So, I thought it would actually be even better to include her in... is she ADORABLE?! :o)

Yesterday, I spent a good part of the morning writing up my comments on the Foodie Fights Battle 14 entries and choosing the winner. Honestly, I was excited to do this and enjoyed being one of the judges... but very disappointed that only 3 actually submit their entries. Oh well, it is what it is! Please head on over there and see who won this round!

Also, did I tell you that I made some seriously veganlicious cookies?! I haven't made cookies in a while and it was so great to have my 'Soaked & Ready' Oats in hand. I had that urge and realized it has been toooooo loooong since I've smelled cookies wafting outta my oven! LOL! Don't worry, I'll share them with you ASAP!

Well, this was a long post! Not sorry about that :o) I hope you enjoyed reading and celebrating with me! I really can't believe that this is my 101st post and that I've had over 19,000 views since I first started this blog back in March of 2009. I have learned so much, seen so many awesome blogs & met many great people out there! Thank you everybody for your support and looking forward to sharing more recipes and my life in Costa Rica :o)

Have a great weekend and remember to take a moment to enjoy your surroundings!

The 'Soaked & Ready' Oats is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Read More

Sweet Wholesome Wednesday: Maple Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream

For years I've had a love and hate thing going for the fall season. I loved the fall because of the cool crisp air, beautiful colors, apples, pumpkins & all the yummy fall recipes that can only be enjoyed during this time of year. But I hated the fall because of the winter that often comes knocking on my door before I am ready to say goodbye to summer and fall, but it has been very different this time around with living in Costa Rica. We are actually finishing up our winter (rainy season) and the summer (dry season) will start up around December. I am enjoying it, but still have moments where I would daydream about the fall and winter in Iowa... Brrr! Okay, I'm cold now :o)

Anyway, I have been seeing all over the food blogs so many delicious recipes with ingredients that celebrate the fall season... apples, pumpkins, creamy soups, pies, cinnamon, maple, nutmeg, apple cider, spiced cakes, roasts & more! It makes me feel all warm and spicy whenever I see these recipes.

So, today I have a great fall ice cream to share with you! The wonderful combination of pecans, maple syrup & cinnamon really hits the sweet spot. We have actually decided that this ice cream has become the favorite now, but due to limited supply of maple syrup... we can only enjoy this once every few months when someone (usually my in-laws) comes down to visit and brings a bottle of maple syrup with them. Yes, we did find a tiny bottle of maple syrup for about $18.00 at a gringo grocery store, but no way we are spending that much for it!! Import taxes, blah! We've learned to live without a lot of "American" things that are available here because it of the cost. Better to wait till we can find someone to bring us a suitcase of groceries... LOL!! :o)

Back to the ice cream, it is simply delicious and so comforting. Did you know that cinnamon is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron & calcium? I didn't! I also learned that cinnamon can help lower LDL cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, stop yeast infections, fight E. coli bacteria, reduce arthritis pain & much more! No wonder it makes me feel so good when I sprinkle some on my toast with raw honey. I actually would love to write a post on cinnamon sometime soon because it is one of my favorite spices that I use almost every morning. I find the taste delicious and the smell... oh my! Adding that with maple syrup and pecans with a pinch of sea salt really made it perfect.

Maple Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream

• 3 cups whole milk or cream
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 cup soaked & dehydrated pecans, chopped
• pinch of sea salt

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour into your ice cream maker and proceed according to instructions.

If you do not have an ice cream maker... simply pour into a plastic sealed container and put in your freezer. When completely frozen, simply chopped it up and put in your blender. Blend till creamy.

NOTE: if you don't have soaked & dehydrated pecans... use the regular kinds, but you will be missing out on some seriously good flavor!

Now, does anybody have any sweet recipes to share with us today?? If yes, please post it in the comments area!

Next week we will be having a special guest for SWW! Please come next week and see what this gal will be sharing and enjoy some eye candy! Now, go have a great day... seriously!

P.S. - I decided to share this with the Real Food Wednesday gang.

Read More