Meet Our Baby Cuatro: Poema Alizay

Picture taken at 2 weeks old

Poema Alizay Beard

Born October 21st, 2012

3:05 AM

8 lbs 3 oz  •  18 inches

Family-assisted home-birth & full water birth (It only took four tries to see it happen... PTL!)

Britt, Iowa in the home of my parents, Wayne & Brooke Goranson.

Why Such A Funky Name?

While in Britt, I was attending a women's Bible study, lead by my mother, through the book of Ephesians. Each week we went through a chapter and the week we read through Ephesians 2... verse 10 really stuck out to me:

"For we are His workmanship, 

created in Christ Jesus for good works, 

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (NKJV)

The Greek word for workmanship is poiema, where we English speakers derive the word "poem". We took the Spanish twist on the word and have named our daughter "Poema" (po-ay-mah)

We didn't decide on the middle name until day of the birth! We were really struggling for inspiration, so my dad sent us a long list of cool Biblical names with meaning.

No, Alizay isn't found in the Bible, so it wasn't on the list, but it prompted some research to find a name with the following significance. Alizay (ah - lee - zay) is a female name with Hebrew origin that means "full of joy."

So, with the secret parent decoder, Poema Alizay means:

God's workmanship/poem is full of joy. 

This idea really became concrete as Jon, my husband, was doing our daily family Bible devotionals the morning before Poema was born and the verses just "happened" to land in Psalm 139:13-16

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

 

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

 

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed." (NLT)

Jesus, we thank you for another wonderful birth experience and our new baby girl. Thank you for all of our friends, family and supporters who can share in this joyous occasion. Help us to walk in obedience and accomplish the good works that you have prepared for us, including raising our kids to know and marvel in your presence. Bring unity in our family and rest to our bodies. Amen!

Bendiciones todos!

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A Thanksgiving Breakfast: Spiced Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal

What could be better on Thanksgiving morning than your standard pancake or waffle breakfast?

A nourishing baked oatmeal with fall spices, tangy cranberries, sweet apples and crunchy walnuts… oh yum!

To make it truly nourishing… I soak the rolled oats for about 24 hours and use nuts that have been soaked & dehydrated. When everything is properly prepared, not only does it taste delicious, but my tummy won’t feel like a brick is sitting there after eating my share.

We love the beautiful fall flavors in this oatmeal bake and I have to say this is our favorite “stateside” baked oatmeal… while the Strawberry Pineapple is our favorite Honduran baked oatmeal.  :o)

Enjoy it topped with lots of butter & pure maple syrup or raw honey! I also think some breakfast sausage & cheesy scrambled eggs will make a delicious brunch if you decide to have a late breakfast.

Spiced Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal

• 4 cups regular rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whey, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or sourdough starter
• 6 cups water

Combine oats, choice of acid and water in a big bowl. Cover and let it soak overnight (if using sourdough) or up to 24 hours (using whey, vinegar or lemon juice).

NOTE: I usually use sourdough starter to soak my oatmeal overnight. I learned from my friend, Wardeh, at GNOWGFLINS that sourdough starter improves the effectiveness of soaking by adding phytase to reduce phytic acid and organisms to accomplish an overnight soaking effectively. Don't worry, it won't be sour as long as you drain and lightly rinse the oats in the morning!

• 1/3 cup lightly melted butter, coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk or whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup rapadura or palm sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)

Morning arrives: preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Drain the oats through a fine sieve. Gently rinse and allow to drain while mixing together other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, milk, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, spices and sea salt. Add in cranberries, apple, walnuts and oats. Mix it all together gently, yet well.

Pour oatmeal mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Smooth out the top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. It should be golden brown when done. Insert a knife or toothpick, it should come out clean when the baked oatmeal is done.

Take baked oatmeal out of the oven and set it on a cooking rack. Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes to set before cutting into bars.

Store leftovers in the fridge, but you can leave it out for a day.

Oatmeal bake makes a weekly appearance at our house… usually every Monday morning because it makes great leftovers throughout the week for snacks or a quick breakfast on the go.

I typically use whatever we have on hand (spices, fruits & nuts)… what are your favorite combinations? Please share below!

Shared at Simple Lives Thursday, Real Food Wednesday, Monday Mania, Fight Back Friday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Whole Food Wednesday, Not Just A Housewife, Chef In Training

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Naturally Sweetened Cranberry-Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Wow, time is flying by and it is almost time for my family to go back to Honduras. We've been so blessed during our time here, but we are ready to be back in our home & routine  :o)

There are many things l enjoy while being in the states during the late summer and early fall... catching up with family & friends, eating ripe tomatoes picked fresh out of the garden, apples coming into season, nice long conversations with my hubby while on the road, exploring new things with my kids, enjoying the amazing variety of pumpkin & squash, watching the leaves change colors and baking yummy desserts with cranberries, apples & pumpkin.

Which brings me to my Cranberry-Oatmeal Crumble Bars...

While we were on the road back in September I saw that my friend, Diana from Spain in Iowa, posted some yummy looking Oatmeal Jam Bars that are much like my crumble bars. 

Inspired by her recipe, I changed the sweetener in my crumble bars from raw sugar (rapadura/sucanat) to honey and pure maple syrup. I must say I will never use raw sugar again! I just love how the raw honey & maple syrup blended nicely with the oats, flour & fruit... bringing out the natural sweetness of the oats and complimenting the flavor of the fruit.

These crumble bars are simple & quick to make... which makes them a fantastic "last-minute" dessert for any occasion! Over the years I've made them with blueberries, rhubarb (which is actually a veggie), cherries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, apples, mangoes... here I am using cranberries for the first time and love it!

The vibrate red color and wonderful tangy flavors will sure be a hit at any potluck or Thanksgiving meal!

 Naturally Sweetened Cranberry-Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Crust & Crumble:

2 cups whole white wheat flour

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup butter and/or coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup raw honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 9x13 baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add in the butter and/or coconut oil, honey, maple syrup & vanilla. mix together until well combined. Scoop about half or more into the prepared baking pan and press the mixture down firmly. Set aside the rest for the crumble topping.

Cranberry Filling:

4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

1/3 - 1/2 cup raw honey (can add more if you want it sweeter)

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or non-gmo cornstarch

heavy pinch of sea salt

In a medium pot, pour in honey, arrowroot powder and salt. Stir until combined. Add in cranberries and turn heat on medium low. Mix together the honey and cranberries until well coated. Cook for 2-3 minutes and turn off heat. Spread cranberries over the crust and sprinkle evenly the remaining mixture over the cranberries.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown when done. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!) and enjoy with some fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

These bars can be kept at room-temp in a sealed container for up to a week... not that they will last that long anyway! Enjoy  :o)

I would love to find a way to properly prepare the grains by soaking or using sourdough somehow. I bet using sprouted flour would work great!

Any thoughts on how to make these beautiful bars even more nutritious? What fruits would you use to make these crumble bars?

Shared at Simple Lives Thursday & Real Food Wednesday

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