Easy Homemade Raw Buckwheat Granola

If you didn't know, boxed cereals are really worth pennies and they are sold for about $4-$5 a box.  What a rip off.  Well, we used to had them, but now it has been about two years that we have not even tasted it.  Of course, if we did, it's not a big deal, but honestly, we don't miss it.  Sometimes, when we see them at the grocery store, we wanted to try some but we don't care for them much.   Mom explained to us  the process of making dry boxed cereal and the many reasons why we prefer not to buy them.

Instead, we have enjoyed homemade granola, raw buckwheat cereal and homemade corn flakes (We will share recipe soon).  To make anything with seeds, nuts and grains, don't forget to sprout them first, here is why.

You will need:

2  -1/2 cup sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat groats

1/4 cup sprouted and dehydrated sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sprouted and dehydrated pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sprouted and dehydrated and chopped almonds

1/2 cup sprouted and dehydrated chopped walnuts or pecans

3 TBLP coconut oil

4 TBLS sorghum, maple syrup or raw honey

1 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup of dried fruit of your choice.  We used raisins and cranberries here.

Mix them all up and dehydrate (118 degrees for about 4 hours).



We like it on our homemade yogurt,  homemade ice cream, or homemade frozen yogurt, or also just by itself as a snack when we're out.

 

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Recipes For Yummy Broccoli For Baby And The Whole Family

Learn all about Broccoli

Broccoli is such a super food, highest in vitamin C that I wanted to find out ways that we can ALL eat it, including baby.  Liberty is not eating food yet.  I like to wait a year before feeding babies.  Before that, they would start getting used to tastes and learning how to swallow food.  But this introduction is not really for nutrition.  After a year or so, the digestion system will be better developed and baby can digest almost any food. Many allergies to food are because babies are fed way too early.

When can Baby eat Broccoli?

Anytime after a year.  Broccoli is from the coniferous vegetable family which also means that it's hard for the stomach to break it down.  That is why it should always be eaten lightly steamed.  For baby, really soft and smashed or sauteed in olive oil

The Goodness of Broccoli for Babies

This year we are growing lots of broccoli in our garden so we will be cooking it a lot. Broccoli is very high in Vitamin C and is a great source of soluble fiber. This makes broccoli wonderful to add to baby food recipes. Soluble fiber is the fiber that helps loosen up the bowels as it changes its form as it passes through the digestive tract. An overabundance of soluble fiber in a diet may produce diarrhea. Insoluble fiber does not change its form or make up and simply helps to add bulk and too much of it may cause constipation.

BROCCOLI: (1 cup - steamed)

VITAMINS: Vitamin A - 2415 iu Vitamin C - 101.2 mg Niacin - .86 mg Folate - 168 mcg Vitamin E - 2.26 mg Vitamin K - 220 mg Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS: Potassium - 457 mg Phosphorus - 105 mg Magnesium - 33 mg Calcium - 62 mg Sodium - 64 mg Selenium - 5.7 mg Iron - 5.5 mg Contains zinc, manganese and others

 

Here are some great recipes for the whole family:

 

Broccoli Casserole

2 cups brown rice cooked

(If using brown rice, be sure to soak it in acidic water with starter for 24 hours.  Basmati white rice would be my first choice after brown as it is lighter to digest and best than other white rice)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cups shredded raw cheddar cheese, divided

2 pkgs. Organic Frozen broccoli (10 oz. each)

1 cup of yogurt

1 cup of heavy whipping cream or half and half

2 cups of homemade stock

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Sauté onion, peppers, and celery in butter until tender. Combine rice, broccoli, sautéed vegetables, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, and soups/substitutions. Transfer to a greased casserole dish.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Take off cover, top with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese, and bake about 5 minutes longer, until top is lightly browned and cheese is melted.

 



Baby's Creamy Broccoli Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon marjoram or oregano

Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup heavy whipping cream  or raw milk

 Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sauté until tender. Add broccoli, chicken stock, marjoram, and cayenne; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until broccoli is tender. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Purée in batches in a blender. Heat through to serve.

Cheesy Broccoli (or Cauliflower) Rice

1 stalk of broccoli

½ cup cooked brown rice

¼ shredded cheddar cheese

 Instructions:

1. Wash broccoli under cool water.

2. Chop stems and florets into small pieces; using just the florets will many times yield a smoother puree. Steam until tender.

3. Mix the rice and broccoli together and return to the stove on low

4. Stir in the cheese until it has melted into the broccoli & rice

5. Puree or mash as needed

 

Broccoli & Carrots

1 stalk of broccoli

1 cup peeled and thinly diced carrots



1. Wash broccoli under cool water.

2. Chop broccoli stems and florets into small pieces (using just the florets will many times yield a smoother puree)

3. Add broccoli and carrots to a saucepan (2 inches of water) or steamer and steam until tender.

4. Mash or puree as needed. If the veggies are diced small enough, this will make a wonderful and colorful finger food medley.

 

Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese Nuggets

 

1 16-oz Package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs 

1 ½ cups shredded raw cheddar cheese

3 Large eggs (given baby is over a year old).  I would recommend that you substitute 5 egg yolks for the whole eggs if serving this to those under 1 yr.

Instructions:

Pre-Heat oven to 375

Lightly coat a baking sheet with butter and set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. *Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired.

Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes.

Serve warm - Chop or mash these broccoli nuggets if your baby isn't able to handle bigger finger foods.

Broccoli Nuggets II

16 oz package of frozen broccoli (florets if possible.)

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1 1/2 cups grated raw Cheddar cheese

5-6 tablespoons of water or milk

5 tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

shakes of spices as you desire,

1/4 diced and sauteed onions if you wish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F

Thaw and drain broccoli (if using fresh, cleanse, cook then drain and chop)

Mix together remaining ingredients

Shape the mixture into nuggets, rolls or whatever takes your fancy.

Bake for 20-25 minutes on a lightly greased/oiled baking sheet.

Turn your broccoli-cheesies after 10 minutes of cooking time - these are done when golden and firm.

Serve warm - with a yogurt dip.

 

What are some ways you serve broccoli?

 

 

 

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Sprouted Whole Grain Matzah For Passover

We had our Passover Ceder beautifully this year with one more member of the Family, Liberty Joy.  We enjoy making Matzah together for Feast of Unleavened Bread.  The kids love to get their hands into anything that feels like dough.  Then, they help make little balls, roll them and someone else pokes them and stripes them.  Quite an assembly line.  By the end of the seven days we were all so matzah-out that we were glad it's once a year.  This time I found creative ideas make use of out big batch of matzah

You will need:

~ 4 Cups of freshly milled sprouted(Hard Red Wheat, einkorn or Spelt)
~ 2 tsp salt
~ 4 large eggs
~ 6 Tbl spoons Honey
~ 6 Tbl Olive Oil
~ 5 Tbl spoons water

Instructions:

Before Mixing - preheat oven to 400 degrees farienghit and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.

If doing two cooking sheets rotate top to bottom half way during cooking for even baking.

Mix the two dry ingredients together with a fork or whisk.

Mix all wet ingredients together untill well blended.

Combine wet mixture into dry mixture - mixing until able to 'knead' by hand.

Form into 12-14 eaqual size dough balls.

Roll out, place on cookie sheet(s), then prick and stripe with fork.

Bake approximately 10 minutes, depending how hot your oven gets.  Keep checking because unfortunately, I just left my first batch and they burnt.
If using two cookie sheets bake 5 minutes, switch top and bottom sheets and bake 4 more minutes.

It's time to get creative with matzo.  Here are some ideas:
~ Spread honey, butter and cinnamon spread on top

~ Cream Cheese and berry syrup
~ Spread on Peanut butter and top with apple or banana slices
~ Make your usual turkey sandwich

~toast then to use them as crackers

~Matzah pizza

~Matzah chilaquiles

Have Fun with your little people.  They would love making these.  They are not too messy.

 

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Healing Honey Spread For Waffles When A Cold Is Around

I had planned to make waffles today for breakfast without usual toppings.  Regularly, I would use what we have in hand like strawberry syrup or mixed berry syrup, yogurt, whipping cream, maple syrup, flaxseed sprinkles, the variations are endless.  But when I heard everyone sniffling this morning, I decided to make a healing honey butter spread for the cold their immune systems re fighting.  It was very delicious as we spread it over our chocolate waffles.  My toddler would have three servings of the spread to one serving of waffle.  Yes, a little too much.  But again, when you know what's in it,  it doesn't hurt you.  It is more a matter of teaching him some table manners.

Cinnamon and Honey

The combination of cinnamon and honey has been used ever since the times of Noah or before.  Who knows if Adam and Eve used them together!  I'm sure they got sick.  Cinnamon's essential oils and raw honey's enzymes which produces hydrogen peroxide make up the two "anti-microbial" foods with the ability to help stop the growth of bacteria and fungi. Both are used as alternatives to traditional food preservatives due to their effective antimicrobial properties.

This is a recipe you must try.  It is irresistibly good on pancakes, waffles, toasts and biscuits.

 

 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup soft butter

• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder

• ½ cup cream honey

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese or heavy whipping cream (optional)

Directions:

• Blend ingredients in a bowl and beat well until mixture is smooth and creamy.

• Spread it on piping hot toasted bread or biscuits.

• This recipe makes more than enough to serve 10 persons. An all time favorite for the family!

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Soaked Date and Almond Bread with Chocolate Frosting

It is my daughter's birthday and she loves chocolate.  So we made this delicious chocolate frosting.  My two year old went around wanting to eat everybody's frosting.  I didn't mind because I know what's in it.  The bread was filling, nutritious, sweet and everyone can have seconds too.  Although it requires some soaking time (12-24 hours), it is really  very simple.  Allowing a longer period of soaking time will make the bread rise better.  We enjoy it with raw milk or mexican hot chocolate.  The next day, we had left overs for breakfast with a kefir shake.

The day before:

Soak 3 cups of freshly ground flour (spelt, whole wheat or kamut) 12-24 hours with

2 cups of buttermilk, kefir or youghrt

Ingredients:

3 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 to 1/2  cup maple syrup, sorghum or honey

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup dates in pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans, almonds or walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  After the soaking time, blend in remaining ingredients.  Pour into a well-buttered baking pan.  Bake it for 1 hour to 1 1/1 hours or until done.  Mine cooks sometimes for 50 minutes, depending on your oven and outside temperature.

Chocolate Frosting

In a small sauce pan, combine:

1 cup peanut butter

2 ounces of cocoa (powder or bar)

4 Tablespoons of sweetener (coconut palm sugar, rapadura, sucanat, sorghum, maple syrup or honey)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Under very low heat, combine all ingredients, except for cream.  Stir until all ingredients are melted and well combined.  Add heavy whipping cream and stir it in.  It is done.  Spread it over your baked bread and enjoy!

 

 

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No-Bake Healthy Granola Bars

 

I like to have these handy to grab a healthy powerful snack to-go or to serve with a morning shake when I'm running late in the mornings. This is a real treat for my children.  They absolutely loved them!

I make these with soaked and dehydrated oats, seeds and nuts.  the soaking and sprouting process will ensure better digestion and more nutrient absorption.

Ingredients

3 cups soaked and dehydrated rolled oats
1 cup soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds
1 1/4 cups soaked and dehydrated peanuts, almonds, pecans or walnuts, crushed
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (you can substitute for Rapadura)
2/3 cup raw honey or sorghum
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt or any other wholesome salt
3/4 - 1 cup of dried fruit.  My favorite are date pieces

Directions

1. Toast the oats, sunflower seeds, and nuts in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until slightly browned.

2. Melt your choice sugar, honey or sorghum, butter, vanilla, and salt over medium heat until well melted and bubbly.  The longer you simmer this mixture the stiffer the bars.  The less time you simmer it, the more chewy.

3. Mix oats and sunflower seeds and the hot mixture together in a bowl. Add in dried fruit. Stir well to make sure it is well coated.

4. Press into a glass 9×13 pan lined with wax or parchment paper.  Place another piece of waxed paper over the mixture and press mixture into the pan.
5. Cut after the bars are cooled, but still slightly warm. I cut them right in the pan and then wrap them up individually in wax paper.


Be Creative:

You can use many variations.  For me it is usually what I have at home.  Different nuts, dried fruit shredded coconut, chocolate chips and so on.

*Nourishing Notes

• Use only unrefined sugars like honey and whole cane sugar (sucanat or rapadura)


• Make sure the nuts and seeds are properly soaked and dehydrated for better digestion and more nutrient absorption.


• When using dried fruit, make sure it’s ‘no sugar added’.


• Consume sparingly as these are rich in sugars.

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Tried and True Easy Sourdough Starter

 

Search no more!  Finally an easy and successful sourdough starter.  Believes me I tried several times to no avail.  I regretted wasting my flour and yeast and money buying grapes pineapple juice and so forth.  This was my last intent, I had not done it because it seemed too easy.  I have this one going on for about seven months and it is still live and healthy.  It also survived about two months of hibernation while we moved and while our baby was born.  I use it about once a week.  So it will sit in the refrigerator for most of the time, unless I have some spear time to make muffins or chocolate chip cookies, yum!

You will need:

Rye flour

Water

Directions:

Mix 1-2 cups of  freshly ground flour with the same amount of water.  Cover with a kitchen towel and set it in a warm place.  This will allow it to catch the natural yeast around your kitchen.  The next day mix one cup of flour with one cup of water.  Do the same for the next  seven days.  After a few days, the starter will start to bubble and smell like beer.  This is a good sign.  After 7 days, it is ready to use.

Starter Maintenance :

1. Always use plastic or wooden spoon to mix.  Use a plastic, glass or ceramic container as metal does not do well with the starter.

2. Feed your starter daily with equal amounts of flour and water.  Always mix in less than the amount of starter you begin with..

3. If not using it, you can store in the refrigerator tightly covered for about 6 months.

4.  When you are ready to use it again, take it out of the refrigerator, feed it and let it sit in a warm place for 6-12 hours before using.  You will know it is ready when it is bubbly.

Why Sourdough?

Soaking flour with starter will disarm the phytates contained in most grains.   I  even put a tablespoon of starter when I soak brown rice.

What are some of your favorite sourdough recipes?

 

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Homemade Sugar-Free Whipped Cream

This has got to be the easiest thing you do homemade in your kitchen.  My daughter makes it in 10 seconds. I know because she is good at timing it To follow my instructions.  The secret is that it s not made from scratch.  Otherwise, we would have to go milk the cow and separate the cream from the milk.  But we cheat on this one and buy some organic heavy whipped cream.  After having this you will want to toss that stuff the sell you at the store full of preservatives and anemic elements.  Have you read what's in it?  Don't get fooled by the " organic" or "non GMO " label.  

Directions:

You need 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, stevia to taste and about 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Pour all in the blender and whip for about 10 seconds and done!  Yes! It is that quick.  You will hear the blender spinning with no more cream to whip.  That means it is ready.  If you let it go a little bit longer, it will start to condense.

Enjoy!  We like it on our waffles, shortcakes, pancakes, hot chocolate and my little one likes it just like that as he wipes the container with his fingers!

 

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