eighteen weeks pregnant

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samedi 30 avril 2011

Sourdough Journal #5: Banana Blueberry Nut Sourdough Bread/Muffins

Posted on 19:35 by Unknown

Remember how I said before that I felt like these muffins were going to be a challenge? Well, as you can see from the picture below... they didn't exactly come out the way I know they should've. I doubled the recipe and followed the directions... everything looked great and the sourdough was bubbling very happily.

I did the first batch in the muffin tins and while it was baking... I decided to pour the rest into 2- 9 inch round pans because I was ready to call it a day (I was making these at 8:30 in the evening... I was still figuring out the how the whole sourdough schedule worked, ha!) and watch a movie with my hubby.

Boy, am I glad I made that last minute decision to bake the rest of the batter in the 9' round pans! As you can see above, it looks great, but the muffins... which don't even look like muffins (see below)... came out flat and ugly. Even though they flopped, it did taste yummy and we enjoyed them for breakfast the next morning! LOL!


So, I head over the the GNOWFGLINS eCourse Forums to find out what went wrong and this is what I learned:

Your batter set aside to sour MUST be on the thick side. If your batter is too thin after the souring, your muffins will not rise as you like. The taste will be delicious and the texture pleasing, but you will not see the rise. When making the initial batter begin by stirring your starter and milk. Add your oats. Stir. Add one cup of flour. Stir. Add MORE flour until you have a thick batter. The thicker the batter the better the rise. You don't necessarily want it stiff but most definitely thick. If in the morning you wonder if it's too thin, use only one egg, use a dry sweetener, and only stir in non-wet add-ins.

I made them this morning being mindful to stir in more flour initially. I use a thicker starter anyway and store bought 100% hard red flour. I added a little more than 1 1/2 cups flour to my batter. After the souring I chose to use only one egg and added a large grated carrot. My muffins had nice rise, delicious taste, and a perfect texture.
 

I remember the batter being pretty thin when I was getting ready to bake them and remember wondering if that was going to be a problem. So, next time I will make sure to add more flour to thicken the batter. I will try to remember to post about it if they come out the way they should  ;o)

Like I said... even though the muffins flopped, they tasted delicious. I was very surprised that the sourdough tang wasn't strong at all! My girls loved it with with lots of butter and honey drizzled on top. It also made a great snack... my hubby was in and out of the kitchen a few times and snacking on them  :o)


Banana Blueberry Nut Sourdough Bread


1/2 cup sourdough starter (fed in the previous 12 hours)
1 cup coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1 cup plus MORE of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 eggs
1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup raw sugar (rapadura or coconut sugar)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans or other
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
butter or coconut oil for greasing baking dish


In a large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sourdough starter and 1 cup coconut milk. Add in the oats and stir until oats are wet. Add in 1 cup of whole wheat flour, stir well and add more if needed. Your dough should be wet, sticky, and thick. Cover and set aside to sour for 8 or more hours.


8 or more hours later...


Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your muffin pans or bread pans with butter. Set aside.


In a small bowl whisk together eggs, melted butter, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt. Pour into the soured batter and stir with a wooden spoon, gently mix until incorporated. (Note from creator: It is important to break up as much of the soured batter as you are able. This will give you a deliciously tender and moist muffin. Bits of batter that have not been broken up will be a different texture (more firm) and a different color (lighter) than the rest of your muffin. The taste, however, will not be affected.)


Gently stir in mashed bananas & blueberries (or hold the blueberries and sprinkle them on top of the batter after you've poured them into your pans... that way they won't fall to the bottom). Mix in the baking powder & baking soda into the batter. Quickly and carefully stir to incorporate. Spoon into prepared muffin tins or pour into your 8" or 9" baking pans. Top with chopped pecans or your choice of nuts.


Bake for 15 to 25 minutes (it took about 10 minutes longer because I am in higher altitude) or until a toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes before serving it topped with butter and honey... with fried eggs on the side!


These guys freeze great and store well in a sealed container on the counter or refrigerator for up to a week!

What are your favorite flavors of muffins and bread? Have you joined the Sourdough eCourse, yet?

Next, I am gonna make pizza! Can't wait!
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Posted in GNOWFGLINS e-Course, recipes, sourdough, sourdough eCourse, sourdough journal, sourdough starter, WAPF, WAPF food, whole grains, wholesome snacks | No comments

mercredi 27 avril 2011

Simple Lives Thursday #41

Posted on 22:18 by Unknown








Please Read & Follow the Rules
Since Simple Lives Thursday is growing, as a group, the five hosts have decided to set some ground rules in order to keep the integrity of the blog hop. Don't stop here... keep reading and find out who the Top Fives are this week!

1. If linking real, traditional and simple recipes, please make sure all ingredients used are whole. Such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, even sugar. In order to keep the integrity of "nourishing" food, we will delete any recipes that utilize processed, boxed foods. We are definitely not going to be ingredient policeman, however, please note that this is a hop hosted by advocates of the real, local and sustainable food movements.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This is a common blog hop courtesy. This link helps build the Simple Lives Thursday community by sending your readers to all of the other participants posts. We all end up sharing and learning from each other.

Now that we've set some ground rules we are excited to share with all of you that starting this week, the hosting bloggers will be choosing five posts to highlight and promote across all five blogs. Annette, Wardeh, Alicia, Diana and I will be selecting five posts each week that resonates with us and that we feel all of our readers need to read. As a highlighted post you will also have the chance to win in special giveaways that we will be starting soon -  Another great reason to link up and share all that you do to live a simple and intentional life!

Top Five Featured Posts!
We really enjoyed going through last week's SLT submitted posts and look forward to doing this every week. Hope you will enjoy the top five picks just as much as we did!



1. My Small Steps Toward Sustainability by Seattle Seedling
For many, living a sustainable life can seem daunting and overwhelming. Stacy shows us her journey beginning with small, natural steps.






2. Homemade Produce Bags - Forget the Plastic by The Improbable Farmer
These produce bags are made from recycled t-shirts! They look awesome - and the blogger herself said she just learned to sew, so how hard can they be?





3.Understanding Your Soil with Weed Indicators by the morris tribe
What's the quality of your soil? This blogger shares how weeds can indicate the fertility and overall health of your soil.





4. Fettucine with Walnut Basil Pesto and Slow-dried Cherry Tomatoes by Mummy, I can cook!
We love how simple this dish is. She dried her own cherry tomatoes and made the pesto, PLUS homemade sourdough pasta... how much more nourishing and delicious can this dish get?





5. Eggshell Seedlings by Hounds in the Kitchen
A great way to compost your eggshells... plant seeds in them. All natural and your kids will love it to!



Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop
Woohoo! So, today is Simple Lives Thursday... A fun blog hop dedicated to anything and everything about simple living. Please share with us how are you living your life simply... we all want to know!


There is so much to learn about living simply these days... making lacto-ferments, raising animals, living off-grid, cooking with real food, gardening, raising family, homeschooling, homemade body products, natural cleaners, frugal ways, creating art with recycled materials, homesteading, homeopathy, growing herbs for health and much more!


Simply hosted by:
  • Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
  • Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
  • Annette @ Sustainable Eats
  • Alicia @ Culinary Bliss
  • And me... the Noisy Mama  :o)

Be Simple and Share Your Post!
Make your "Simple Lives Thursday" post on your blog and come back here. Below you will find the Linky box where you can post your simple ideas, tips & recipes. Please add a link to this post at the end of your blog post entry and share with your readers that it is part of this week's Simple Lives Thursday. Feel free to download the badge above and upload it to your post!

Also, when you link here... your post will appear on all five blogs!

For those who don't have blogs... Please share your ideas, tips and recipes about simple living below in my noisy comments area. Don't get left out!

Everybody, take the time to visit the linked blogs. Sharing your favorites on Facebook or Tweet would be awesome! Spread the wealth of simple living!


Before you head down to put in your link... Please take a few minutes to read through the rules above, if you haven't yet. We wrote them up to help you understand what Simple Lives Thursday is all about and how we can unify in the right direction.


Also, please take a moment and read up on my new series called "Alternative Laundry 101", the first post is "9 Reasons Why Line Drying Really Is the Healthier Option". Thanks and have a great week  :o)


Hugs!


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Posted in Simple Lives Thursday | No comments

Alternative Laundry 101 Series-Part 1: 9 Reasons Why Line Drying Really Is The Healthier Option

Posted on 21:45 by Unknown



Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the spring weather! The rainy season is slowly starting up here and it is beautiful to see everything turning green again. We have tons of wild easter lilies popping up everywhere. They are gorgeous!


Well, as you can see... I am start a small series of posts about the one thing all mommas "love" to do... laundry. HA! I am excited about this and hope to encourage many of you with simple ways to effectively do laundry and actually enjoy it. I will be honest, I still have my days where I wish I could burn up the clothes and live like we are in the Garden of Eden. LOL! Don't worry, that's NOT going to happen  ;o)


In the Alternative Laundry 101 Series... I will be sharing the reasons why line drying is all around a healthier option, tips on how to save time, rules on hanging the clothes, ways to lessen the loads, how to make it fun and more. I am looking forward to sharing what I've learned over the last few years. I hope you all will enjoy it and walk away learning something new! Please take the time to ask questions, share tips or ideas in the comments section. I want this to be interactive as much as possible!


Now, let me start of by sharing a little bit of my experience...


I’ve been hanging our clothes out to dry for years, but in various ways… inside and outside. I remember when I first started line drying our clothes when we were missionaries in Baja California. I would hang all our clothes inside the house we were living in on retraceable lines. With the fan blowing on them, it kept our house cool and moist during the hot, dry months. I choose to do that because the roads around the area we lived in were very dusty. I would often cringe whenever I saw someone’s clothes hanging out getting bathed by dust blowing around. Besides, we didn’t have to use our swamp cooler to cool the house because the clothes did an even better job!


Then, after we moved back to the states. We were given a used dryer, which I started using without much thought. I was in the midst of my first pregnancy and adjustment to life back in the states that I was grateful for one less thing to do… hanging the clothes to dry. Of course, I hung my undergarments and delicate clothing, but the rest went right into the dryer. Even during the summer months… instead of having my hubby put up some lines outside where we had plenty of open space… I chose to keep on using the dryer in our tiny laundry room.


But as I learned more about natural living and health after Naomi was born, I remember reading in one of the many health books that I checked out from the library stating that drying your laundry in the sun is really the healthier option. That moved me to start drying my clothes out in the sun and use the dryer less. Of course, I didn’t always dry everything outside… sometimes I created forts with damp blankets and sheets in the middle of my living room with the fan blowing them dry! Other days I chose to throw half in the dryer and the rest line dry. I didn’t have a system, just did what I could when I could! Our move to Central America as missionaries forced me to really go hard-core with hang drying our clothes (and diapers) for several reasons that I will share with you below. Of course, we have a dryer (our first since living in C.A.) which we only use for emergencies (rainy days) and occasionally Tobi’s diapers ;o)



Now that spring has arrived and summer is just around the corner… Here are some of the reasons I learned to believe hanging my laundry out to dry is all around healthier for my family, our wallet and the environment:


1. Its Free!
Of course, the first and obvious reason is money… what the sun gives is freely given, while the use of a dryer is not. Dryers use a LOT of energy, coming in second place (the refrigerator is first) for the highest energy- consuming household item.


I learned that the US Department of Energy estimates that a clothes dryer accounts for almost 6% of a household annual electricity consumption, sometimes more or less. That might not seem like a lot, but think about how many items in your house uses electricity. If you average about $100 a month for your electric bill… you are basically paying around $72 a year. Think about it, that’s almost a month of electricity in your home! Our electricity here in Honduras is run mainly on diesel, so electricity can get expensive with the way things are going with gas prices. I know when I don’t use my dryer for a whole month, our electricity bill is around $10-$15 less. That may not seem like a lot of savings, but if you add it up… that’s about $120-$180 saved a year!


Plus, during the winter, your dryer is taking warm air from your house to dry your clothes and sending it outside. So, not only do you pay to run your dryer… you are paying more for indoor heating. I know this because I used to live in Iowa!


2. Cleans Better
Our Creator gave us sun with natural ultraviolet radiation and this kills germs. Hanging your laundry out in the sunshine allows the natural radiation to effectively disinfect them! This is great to keep in mind if your family is going through illness… both viral and bacterial. When my girls had pink eye and we had no hot water to disinfect the sheets, clothes and stuffed animals. I simply hung everything out in the sun for the whole day after washing and it worked just fine :o)


Bonus: Did you know that our amazing sun can kill annoying bed bugs? Awesome! All the more reason to also throw your bed out for a day or two  :o)


3. Smells Better
The work of the sun and wind naturally makes your laundry smell clean and fresh. Often, I find that when I throw my laundry in the dryer… it comes out smelling clean enough, but can quickly become stale or musty smelly. Yes, you can buy those smelly, headache-inducing dryer sheets to get your laundry smelling nice... but that won’t remove the odor, just adds another scent to cover up the true smell. Plus, that's one more thing to buy… when you can get fresh smelling clothes for free using the sun’s resources!




4. Brightens Your Whites Naturally
I don’t know anybody who loves the smell of bleach… I don’t. I’ve hated that stuff even before I started doing laundry when I married my hubby over 7 years ago. The smell alone gives me headaches! Here are three reasons you should toss out that bottle of Clorox:

  • Can cause cancer
  • Turns your white clothes yellow. Why? Because chlorine bleach is actually a caustic acid. Over time, the frequent bleaching of laundry not only makes them white, it also removes fibers... breaking down the fabric of your clothes. Therefore, your whites turn yellow.
  • Won’t fully wash out of your clothes. How you like the idea of wearing your bleach? I didn’t think so.

Thankfully, we have a natural alternative… again, the sun! The sun is not only a natural disinfectant, but it is also a natural whitener. When you put your wet whites out on the line, you will see the stains fading naturally as it dries.


I learned a tip from a friend that the morning dew has a way of getting your whites beautifully bright. Simply hang them the night before, allow them to get dewy in the morning and pull them down when dry… I will have to try that sometime. Another way to brighten up your clothes and help stains to disappear is to add ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar into your wash.


5. Less Chemicals are Used
All those flowery smelly dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners are not anything you want to snuggle with. We all know they are used to make the clothes soft and remove the static cling caused by the dryer, but do we also know the common ingredients (they don’t even list them!) found even them? Benzyl Acetate, Ehtanol, Camphor, Chloroform, Linalool, A-Terpineol, fragrances and more! Still want to cuddle up with your soft, warm towel pulled from the dryer? Yeah, didn’t think so.


Thankfully, we don’t have to use softeners because the sun doesn’t cause static charge while freely drying your laundry. You can use vinegar in place of liquid fabric softener to help soften your clothes… does a great job and won’t rob you of your health! Plus, it is much cheaper too!


5. Clothes Last Longer
Now you know that bleach breaks down the fibers of your clothes, thus shortening the lifespan… but did you also know that the dryer weakens the fibers of your clothes too? All that lint you are required to remove after each cycle are fibers that have worn off of your clothes! That means that the dryer can wear down your clothes much faster than if they were line dried. Sure, it’s gradual… but with my family, we prefer to buy less clothes and make them last a long as possible.



6. Wrinkle-free Laundry
Let’s be honest, using the dryer often results in clothes getting tangled and wrinkled. No matter how you do it… you still get wrinkles. Which means you will end up spending more time on laundry if you chose to iron (I never do!). If the clothes are shook out good and hung right, you will get wrinkle-free laundry!


Seriously, there are rules… yes, rules… on how to properly hang your shirt to get that nice, wrinkle-free look. Also, you won’t get those annoying rolled up hems on your pants or skirts like you would if you put them in the dryer. I will share more on that later :o)


7. Shrink-free Laundry
I remember having to buy clothes that were a little big so I didn’t have to worry if they shrunk in the dryer. If I had a shirt or pants that fit me perfect… I never put them in the dryer. They were always hung up on a little line and blown dry by a small fan.


Remember the lint I talked about earlier? That’s the results of your dryer “pulling” the fibers and causing the clothes to shrink. There’s no chance of that happening when your clothes are drying on the line.


8. Less Laundry
Line drying can take up a little bit more time, but it does make you more aware of what clothes really need washing and what can be worn again. All around, it can help you use up less energy, water and time when doing laundry.


For me, it is truly a quick and easy process… throw load into the washer with soapnuts or biokleen and then out to the clothesline. Usually, my clothes are dry within a couple hours on a dry day… I take each item down and fold them, right away, into the basket and then put them away. I will be writing more on ways to save time when line drying your laundry!




9. Healthy & Therapeutic
Last and most important. When hanging my laundry… I’m outside breathing in fresh air and meditating on the Lord’s goodness. I’m sure some of you are thinking I’m crazy, but let me explain…


Most days, I do really enjoy hanging our laundry out to dry. During these times I often find myself praying and talking with the Lord about everything that comes across my mind. I don’t often have a lot of time to simply sit down and have that whole hour of quiet time before the Lord. I often find myself undisturbed and alone in my thoughts when hanging clothes while the girls play and Tobi naps. So therefore, I enjoy opening my thoughts to the Lord and would often sing out loud as I work… making that my “quiet” time with Jesus :o)


Also, for me, it is a simple act of service to my family when I take the time to carefully and joyfully hang our laundry. There is something wonderfully soothing about seeing all our clothes hung in a neat row and flapping in the breeze!



So, knowing all this... what will you do now? What steps can you take to start drying your laundry on the line? Keep you eyes open for the next post in the series!!




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Posted in Alternative Laundry Series, family, homestead, homesteading, Honduras, Life, natural home alternatives, Simple Lives Thursday, simple tips | No comments

dimanche 24 avril 2011

Sourdough Journal #4: Sourdough Tortillas

Posted on 20:22 by Unknown


Alright! I've now checked off the next thing I wanted to try making... sourdough tortillas! I simply followed Wardeh's Tortilla Recipe and found it so easy! They brought back so many memories of our time in Rancho Sordo Mudo where we were first missionaries. The deaf girls there at the time would make homemade tortillas once a week and I would often join them. We had to make up to 150 tortillas for one meal! Yeah, there had to be enough for everybody to have 2 or more. They were a lot of work, but addicting & crazy yummy!




These tortillas are definitely different, but in a good way... No, I'm not talking about how they look! Give me some time, I was a little rusty getting back into making tortillas! LOL!!


Whew... anyway...


First, they are made with whole wheat flour instead of the famous Mexican Rosa white flour. Second, they had sourdough in them... give them that unique tang you would never find in white tortillas. 




Anyway, these were so yummy and chewy. They came out a little thick (even though I rolled them till they could break!), but that's because I used whole wheat flour. The WW flour made them a little heavier, but you can make them lighter by using spelt or pastry wheat like the recipe suggests... nonetheless, they were still wonderful and I actually prefer a thicker tortilla over the thinner varieties. Here are my reasons:

  • They hold better, instead of falling apart when stuffed with eggs & veggies.
  • Give you more body and flavor
  • Fills the hunger void quickly
  • Make excellent "thin-crust" pizza

Oh yeah! You can easily make individual pizzas in 10 minutes with 4 or more simple ingredients: tomato paste or fresh sliced tomatoes, cheese, fresh or dried herbs and sourdough tortilla. Lay out tortillas on a cookie sheet, throw your toppings on, drizzle with a little olive oil and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes or so at 350.  Great with a big bowl of salad!




I also love to cut up the tortillas and fry them in a little oil, then toss them in with some raw sugar and cinnamon. That's what the deaf girls and I used to do IF there were any leftover tortillas... otherwise, we just simply hid a batch of them for that very purpose!  LOL!


Oh and they are excellent with sweet sour cream too... simply add a little honey with your favorite sour cream. Buen Provecho!


What are your favorites ways to use tortillas? You can try making chimichangas or quesadillas!


Next, I am going to make muffins! Hope they come out alright... I have a feeling these might be a little challenging  :o)
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Posted in homemade sourdough tortillas, nourishing ways, sourdough, sourdough eCourse, sourdough journal, sourdough starter, tortilla pizza, WAPF, WAPF food, whole grains, wholesome snacks | No comments

He Is Risen, As He said!

Posted on 18:49 by Unknown

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

  
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.


But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.


And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.


(Matthew 28:1-9, New King James Version)



It is awesome to know that He is alive and right there with us! Even more awesome is that we don't have to earn our salvation... he freely took our sin upon himself so that we can freely & simply receive His salvation. Wow! Thank you Lord!

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Posted in my faith, Other Things | No comments

jeudi 21 avril 2011

Simple Lives Thursday #40

Posted on 19:59 by Unknown





Please Read & Follow the Rules
Since Simple Lives Thursday is growing, as a group, the five hosts have decided to set some ground rules in order to keep the integrity of the blog hop. Don't stop here... keep reading and find out who the Top Fives are this week!

1. If linking real, traditional and simple recipes, please make sure all ingredients used are whole. Such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, even sugar. In order to keep the integrity of "nourishing" food, we will delete any recipes that utilize processed, boxed foods. We are definitely not going to be ingredient policeman, however, please note that this is a hop hosted by advocates of the real, local and sustainable food movements.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This is a common blog hop courtesy. This link helps build the Simple Lives Thursday community by sending your readers to all of the other participants posts. We all end up sharing and learning from each other.

Now that we've set some ground rules we are excited to share with all of you that starting this week, the hosting bloggers will be choosing five posts to highlight and promote across all five blogs. Annette, Wardeh, Alicia, Diana and I will be selecting five posts each week that resonates with us and that we feel all of our readers need to read. As a highlighted post you will also have the chance to win in special giveaways that we will be starting soon -  Another great reason to link up and share all that you do to live a simple and intentional life!

Top Five Featured Posts!
We really enjoyed going through last week's SLT submitted posts and look forward to doing this every week. Hope you will enjoy the top five picks just as much as we did!


1. I'm gonna bee... by Healthy Green Kitchen
Winnie explains how we owe 30% of our food supply to bees, unfortunately, due to colony collapse disorder bees are dying worldwide. As a steward of this Earth, Winnie embarks on bee keeping.




2. The Kitchen Garden by Sense of Home.
Beautiful pictorial on what one can grow in a small area and excellent advice on producing with limited space.




3. A closer look at glycerin & whether it's wise to be in toothpaste including a toothpaste recipe by Artistta.
A closer look at one of the ingredients in toothpaste, glycerin and a great homemade toothpaste recipe.




4.Keeping Ducks - A Few Facts by Healthy Homesteading.
A few facts on raising ducks that has some of us thinking about raising our own!




5. Recipe: Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs from Real Food Forager.
With Easter just a few days away, this author shares how to naturally dye Easter eggs. The colors and textures the natural dyes create are stunning!



Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop
Woohoo! So, today is Simple Lives Thursday... A fun blog hop dedicated to anything and everything about simple living. Please share with us how are you living your life simply... we all want to know!


There is so much to learn about living simply these days... making lacto-ferments, raising animals, living off-grid, cooking with real food, gardening, raising family, homeschooling, homemade body products, natural cleaners, frugal ways, creating art with recycled materials, homesteading, homeopathy, growing herbs for health and much more!


Simply hosted by:
  • Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
  • Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
  • Annette @ Sustainable Eats
  • Alicia @ Culinary Bliss
  • And me... the Noisy Mama  :o)

Be Simple and Share Your Post!
Make your "Simple Lives Thursday" post on your blog and come back here. Below you will find the Linky box where you can post your simple ideas, tips & recipes. Please add a link to this post at the end of your blog post entry and share with your readers that it is part of this week's Simple Lives Thursday. Feel free to download the badge above and upload it to your post!

Also, when you link here... your post will appear on all five blogs!

For those who don't have blogs... Please share your ideas, tips and recipes about simple living below in my noisy comments area. Don't get left out!

Everybody, take the time to visit the linked blogs. Sharing your favorites on Facebook or Tweet would be awesome! Spread the wealth of simple living!


Before you head down to put in your link... Please take a few minutes to read through the rules above, if you haven't yet. We wrote them up to help you understand what Simple Lives Thursday is all about and how we can unify in the right direction.


Hugs!


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Posted in Simple Lives Thursday | No comments

lundi 18 avril 2011

Carrot Molasses Mini Muffins (Gluten-free!)

Posted on 20:30 by Unknown


This week is Holy Week here in Honduras... we are taking the week off and spent much needed family time. Our home church was here last week and it was an awesome time of fellowship and encouragement. We miss them and look forward to seeing them this fall when we come state-side. Please stop by the RO4Y blog to read up on what we are doing here.


Anyway...


Are these little muffins adorable? Is my little girl adorable? Sorry, couldn't help it!  :o)


I'm excited to be able to make mini-muffins using my tin mini muffin pans that my mother-in-law got for me. They make fantastic snacks for all of us, especially now that Naomi is going to Kindergarden in the mornings (primarily to learn Spanish). Like clockwork, she asks for her snack exactly at 9:30! She's funny that way  :o)


Anyway, I wanted to make carrot cake in a muffin form using coconut flour. I got this recipe from Elana, but made a few changes... such as adding in some spices, nuts, raisins and molasses to give the muffins that moist, spicy carrot cake style... oh yum!


You will see below that I've given you the option of how much honey and molasses you want to use for the mini muffins. If you don't want a strong molasses flavor than go with 3 Tbsp honey and 1 Tbsp molasses. Using half and half... I found the molasses very light with a  slightly spicy flavor. These yummy guys are sure to please the whole family and are great travel snacks!



Carrot Molasses Mini Muffins

1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, butter or other
2 Tbsp honey (or 3 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp molasses (or 1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup carrots, grated
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in some lukewarm water and set aside. Grab another bowl and combine coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, oil, honey, molasses & vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and blend till very smooth and wet. Drain raisins and fold in carrots, raisins & chopped walnuts.

Grease and powder the mini muffin pans with oil and coconut flour. Spoon in 1 Tbsp of batter into each cup. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing it from the cups to insure that it the whole muffin will come out.



Have a great week everybody!
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Posted in coconut flour, coconuts, gluten-free, muffins, travel snacks, wholesome snacks, wholesome sweets/desserts | No comments

jeudi 14 avril 2011

Simple Lives Thursday #39

Posted on 08:19 by Unknown





Please Read!
Even though this is actually my third edition of SLT since joining... It is amazing that we are currently in the 39th edition of Simple Lives Thursday. Since the original 4 (Diana, Wardeh, Annette & Alicia) started out Simple Lives Thursday blog hop nearly 10 months ago, it's been exciting to see the growth from passionate people across the blogosphere joining in and linking their posts on simple and intentional living. We have learned so much from all of you! From edible weeds to natural cockroach killer. Cured cows tongue to homeopathic remedies. Simplifying our lives to living it out in faith. We've had a tremendous response and it's been a joy learning a bit more every week on living a life of simplicity.

Since Simple Lives Thursday is growing, as a group, the five hosts have decided to set some ground rules in order to keep the integrity of the blog hop.

1. If linking real, traditional and simple recipes, please make sure all ingredients used are whole. Such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, meats, even sugar. In order to keep the integrity of "nourishing" food, we will delete any recipes that utilize processed, boxed foods. We are definitely not going to be ingredient policeman, however, please note that this is a hop hosted by advocates of the real, local and sustainable food movements.

2. Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This is a common blog hop courtesy. This link helps build the Simple Lives Thursday community by sending your readers to all of the other participants posts. We all end up sharing and learning from each other.

Now that we've set some ground rules we are excited to share with all of you that starting this week, the hosting bloggers will be choosing five posts to highlight and promote across all five blogs. Annette, Wardeh, Alicia, Diana and I will be selecting five posts each week that resonates with us and that we feel all of our readers need to read. As a highlighted post you will also have the chance to win in special giveaways that we will be starting soon -  Another great reason to link up and share all that you do to live a simple and intentional life!

Top Five Featured Posts!
We really enjoyed going through last week's SLT submitted posts and look forward to doing this every week. Hope you will enjoy the top five picks just as much as we did!


Indian Kraut

1. Indian Kraut from Mexican Wildflower. We all love krauts and love when people create different flavors, and this one with mustard seed and cardamom looks like it would have a wonderful, strong, interesting flavor.

real food dudes

2. Why Eating Meat Is Not Immoral by Real Food Dudes. This post and its comments were thoughtful and interesting. The information shared gives readers jumping points for future conversations.

herbal medicine chest

3. Herbal Medicine Chest: Capsules, Pastilles, Lozenges, Chewables, Gels and Electuaries by Wood Wife's Journal. She covers the different ways to present natural remedies to the pickiest of our loved ones. "In other words, how do we get our kids to take them?"

chives

4. Foraging: It's Time For Wild Chives by Loca-faces. In the words of the author, "Foraging is a blast. It connects you more closely with the Earth and the natural cycle of life in the plant world. It gives you traditional skills that are all but lost in the modern Western society." And it's the season for chives!

cultures

5. Organizing Cultured Foods and Supplies from Homestead Revival. The post itself and the pictures are beautiful, and we really liked the tips for organizing culture routines and supplies so one can keep up with different ferments.

Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop
Woohoo! Today is Simple Lives Thursday... A fun blog hop dedicated to anything and everything about simple living. Please share with us how are you living your life simply... we all want to know!


There is so much to learn about living simply these days... making lacto-ferments, raising animals, living off-grid, cooking with real food, gardening, raising family, homeschooling, homemade body products, natural cleaners, frugal ways, creating art with recycled materials, homesteading, homeopathy, growing herbs for health and much more!


Simply hosted by:
  • Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
  • Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
  • Annette @ Sustainable Eats
  • Alicia @ Culinary Bliss
  • And me... the Noisy Mama  :o)

Be Simple and Share Your Post!
Make your "Simple Lives Thursday" post on your blog and come back here. Below you will find the Linky box where you can post your simple ideas, tips & recipes. Please add a link to this post at the end of your blog post entry and share with your readers that it is part of this week's Simple Lives Thursday. Feel free to download the badge above and upload it to your post!

Also, when you link here... your post will appear on all five blogs!

For those who don't have blogs... Please share your ideas, tips and recipes about simple living below in my noisy comments area. Don't get left out!

Everybody, take the time to visit the linked blogs. Sharing your favorites on Facebook or Tweet would be awesome! Spread the wealth of simple living!


Before you head down to put in your link... Please take a few minutes to read through the rules above, if you haven't yet. We wrote them up to help you understand what Simple Lives Thursday is all about and how we can unify in the right direction.


Hugs!


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