A Different Kind Of Coleslaw

I have not been sticking to my meal plan or my diet very well this week.  I am finding it really hard for some reason.  Yesterday I kind of had a big carby blowout and today I got back on track.  We can make mistakes but we also need to forgive ourselves and move on.

So I finally roasted a turkey!  I have been waiting a long time for turkey in my home.  We had two turkey dinners at relatives houses over Christmas so I didn't want to make one here too.  Mark gets sick of turkey quickly.  I never get get sick of turkey.  I love it!  I love picking at the leftovers and one of my favorites is turkey sandwiches, heavy on the mayo.  I also like them with a bit of cranberry sauce.  Yummy!

Canned cranberry sauce is mostly sugar.  I thought I would make my own but I added a bit of a twist.  Rhubarb!  I have bags of it in the freezer but I only have one bag of cranberries.  Both are tart and add a nice taste, why not!  Since Mark is still a very heavy sugar user and doesn't care much for tart things, I made it plain to add sweetner after.  I bought some Kirsda stevia and added it to my sauce before eating.  It is probably the best option for stevia I have without ordering online.  Plus it's made in Canada :).  Always a bonus.

Cranberry-Rhubarb Sauce

2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries

1 pound chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup chia seeds

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with a thin layer of water.  Bring the cranberries and rhubarb to a boil.  When the cranberries split, remove from heat.  Add the chia seeds to help it gel (I added when it was warm but I am not sure the best consistency for absorbing the extra liquid).  Chill and serve. Sweeten to taste before serving.

As you can see, I didn't consume mine as a sauce but mixed in with my coleslaw.  It was really good!  It had a nice crunchy bite to it that went well with the turkey. I cooked the turkey from frozen for most of the day so it doesn't have that nice crispy skin I like so much.  All in all, it was a berry good meal and I look forward to lots of yummy leftover!  

It made a lot, nearly a liter and a half.  You may prefer to remove some liquid before serving rather than gelling it all but I don't mind the excess.

Just some notes on Cranberries and Rhubarb:

Glycemic Load of Rhubarb

• ½ cup of diced rhubarb: 1
• 1 medium rhubarb stalk (a little over 2 ounces): 1

More Information about the Glycemic Load

Health Benefits of Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a good source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C.

Glycemic Load of Cranberries

• 1 oz of cranberries: 0
• ½ cup chopped cranberries: 1
  ½ cup whole cranberries: 1

More Information about the Glycemic Load

Health Benefits of Cranberries

Cranberries are a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. They are rich inphytonutrients, especially antioxidants which can protect cells from damage, lower risk of cardiovasular disease, and provide other health benefits. Cranberries also have an antibacterial effect in the mouth and GI and urinary tracts.

How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

Link: How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

I thought this was a very interesting article. Eating out and especially fast food has just exploded over the years. When I was a kid, it was a rare treat, usually reserved for when we were out of town or once or twice a year otherwise.

I remember waiting at Kentucky Fried Chicken (A.K.A. KFC these days) for half an hour while we waited for our food to cook and it was usually on Mother's Day to give Mom a break from cooking. They even had a place to sit if you were getting take out since it took so long to cook. Now you go in, get your food and you're good to go, almost no waiting any time of the day.

McDonalds is in my backyard and even in my little town, they have a steady stream of traffic around the clock. Tim Hortons, a popular coffee chain, causes traffic problems on one of our main streets in town, despite the fact we have three of them within a few kilometers of each other.

A very simple concept, real food at home! What is all this eating out doing to us? Just look around. It's killing us!

He also touches on other things which are very important for good health. I highly recommend reading it!

Meal Plan Monday January 10th, 2011

Two weeks in a row, I'm on a roll, lol!!

Ok, I didn't do that great with following the plan last week.  I did stick to not running out to buy things for our meals and I tried very hard not to waste.

This morning I did a big grocery shop and boy, are prices increasing!  The price of food is going up and our income is going down since Marks hours are being cut.  Sour cream that is usually $2.49 is now $3.89!  (the only kind that doesn't have icky ingredients)  Cream cheese is around $4 a package.  Kefir went up to $4 for a 454ml container, which I indulged in and dropped it right after having a couple tablespoons, meaning there is only about a tablespoon left, grrr!!  I know I should be making it but I'm scared my grains are dead.

Produce is getting more expensive, of course, due to the time of the year and more things needing to be shipped in. I really wanted cauliflower because there are so many awesome low carb recipes you can make with it.  Well, they don't have frozen anymore and the conventional heads from Mexico are the same price as the organic heads from the USA, $3.99.  I hemmed and hawed and ended up buying a head.  I am not doing the greatest for buying local but it is hard when you are on a restricted diet and there isn't much in season that is low carb.  Eventually you just get tired of cabbage, lol!!  Sometimes we just have to do the best we can, especially when on a very tight budget.

So here is my marvelous Meal Plan for the week:
Monday: Niece's birthday party (I am expecting not to be able to eat anything so I'll come home and have some of this wonderful bone broth I have brewing in my crockpot!)

Tuesday: Steak, fried mushrooms and onions, riced cauliflower

Wednesday: Spaghetti squash with sauce and fresh Parmesan cheese with leftover steak slices (meatballs for the family)

Thursday: Turkey (I have a few in the freezer that need to get used up!), cranberry and rhubarb sauce (which I will somehow make low carb without artificial sweeteners with frozen berries I stored this fall), mashed cauliflower

Friday: Pizza! (cauliflower crust for me, regular for rest of family, make extra to freeze for lunches)

Saturday: Low carb turkey hash (will create when time comes ;) ).

Sunday: crockpot chicken or leftover turkey, cabbage, mashed turnip

There.  Once again, I may or may not stick to it but I hope I do because it sounds good to me!   And yes, I really am going to make that head of cauliflower stretch!

Creamy Beef

I didn't know what to call this but this is the best way to describe it.  Beefy.  Creamy.  YUMMY!!!

I made a roast in the crockpot a few days ago that was very yummy, cooked with garlic and onions (no, I'm not really following my meal plan but that's ok).  I made a gravy with arrowroot flour and saved what was left with the shredded leftover beef.  I had an idea of what I wanted to make and that is what I wanted to have for supper tonight but I invited Dad over on the spur of the moment for supper tonight and found myself at 6pm figuring out how to make enough food for everyone since there wasn't much beef left (not quite 2 cups but we were all starving!) but it needed to get used up.  Whew, what a long run on sentence!! I was in bit of a panic.

So, I cut up a few onions and sliced about 3/4lbs of mushrooms.  I sauteed these in butter then added the beef and leftover "gravy" (it was kind of runny at this point so if you just wanted to add a cup of broth, it would work).  I then added half a cup of cream cheese and let it heat until it melted through.  Soooo good!  Even Dad, who never comments or says anything is good said it was good!  And there was enough!  I made everyone else mashed potatoes and corn to go with it and a big bowl of coleslaw, which I had a hearty portion of.  It was so good there was none left to take a picture of (and I always feel weird taking pictures of food when there are people around).

A very quick, simple, easy dish that dresses up leftovers good enough for company!

Low Carb Biscuit? Bread? Bagel?

Curried Turkey Drummies and Biscuit

I'm not sure what to call it, lol!!

I came across this recipe on the low carb friends message board but it was called and everything bagel.  I love those things!  About 13 years ago, I used to go to the YMCA with one of my friends where we would exercise for an hour then swim.  Afterwards we would always go to Tim Hortons for a bagel with cream cheese, lol!  Everything is the kind I always got.  It kind of defeated the purpose of getting exercise stuffing my face after with those great big carby bagels but I used to find any excuse to get my treats.

I'm usually not a "get off the computer and try something right now" kind of person, but this time I made an exception.  Here is the original recipe then I will post what I did.  The original thread it came from can be found if you click the link in the recipe title:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flaxbread "Everything Bagels” Makes 6 bagels. 

Dry: Mix these together (I keep bags of the dry ingredients mixed up in the fridge so it’s easy to put together a batch.) 

½ cup ground flaxmeal (I prefer golden) 
¼ cup almond flour 
1 ½ tsp. baking powder 
1/2 tsp. dry ranch powder 
1/4 tsp. each garlic and onion powder
2 T. parmesan cheese (green can) 
a pinch of salt

Wet: Mix these together: 
2 eggs (I use jumbo) 
2 T. Chia gel, optional. (If not using, replace with more oil. To make gel, mix ¼ cup chia seeds with 2 cups warm water. Stir, then let sit until thick. Store in fridge to add to lots of things. This adds good omega 3s.) 
2 T. oil 
½ cup shredded cheddar
Preheat oven to 350. Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring to blend. Let sit for 5 minutes. Divide batter evenly into a greased or sprayed muffin top pan. 

“Everything” Topping:
(I don’t measure, but just sprinkle on a little bit of each of the following: 
dehydrated onion and garlic flakes, kosher or sea salt, poppy and sesame seeds.
Bake in muffin top pan at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

The basic bread is 1 carb per bun. I don't know if the toppings change the count or not. The sesame seeds are net 0, but I know the onion and garlic can add up, depending on how much you use.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ok, I'm back :).  I am in the process of cracking almonds as I want to see if it is more cost efficient to buy them in the shell so I used raw hulled sunflower seeds and the flax was whole (I keep it in the freezer).  I think you could use any nut or seed in this.  I didn't use the ranch mix.  I measured all the dry ingredients into a magic bullet cup and pulse blended until the flax and seeds were ground into a flour-like consistency.  I dumped it into a bowl and mixed in the wet ingredients, using an extra egg and yogurt instead of chia seed gel (which I plan to make when I can get my hands on some chia seeds).  I don't have a muffin top pan so I baked on a silicone baking sheet (wanted to try it out, great for not sticking!).  I also didn't add all the toppings, just topped with some dried onion since I love onion.  


These were delicious!  The onion and garlic taste wasn't strong enough in my opinion, so I would definitely add more, fresh would be better.  I am planning to try variations of it for different tastes.  I was tempted to make some to keep in the fridge or freezer but I know flax is best when just ground.


I had two for supper and have been drinking a lot of water as after I realized, that is a lot of fiber, lol!  I ate them warm slathered with butter, yum!  They are sturdy enough to use as a bun or as "bread" for a sandwich.  I am thinking egg salad, drool!


Now, in the picture I have the curried turkey drumsticks I made.  They didn't taste good to me so I tossed them after a couple of bites.  They were quite freezer burnt and they were just cheap grocery store freezer....stuff but I initially didn't want to waste them (they baked when I was making other things in the oven).  To make, I just put the drumsticks on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with my curry blend powder and bake at 350-400 degrees.  Halfway through, I turn and coat the other side.  Bake until done, nice and crispy.


(note, I don't know why some of my posts get kind of funky halfway through.  I can't figure it out!)

Tuna Muffins

Well there.  I made a bunch of freezer meals which should feed me for quite a while.  I made tuna muffins, white castle hamburger pie, curried turkey wings and taco bake.  All low carb and made with real food ingredients.  I modified the recipes to use what I have on hand because I did not want to go to the grocery store.  I was a little dismayed to discover we do not have much ground beef on hand.  I think we mostly got stew meat from our quarter (which is getting used up).  I may have to call the farmer to see if I can get some more meat and I think we will definitely need to get a whole side next time!

 Since we ate tuna muffins for lunch, I am going to post that recipe first.  I will post the other recipes over the next few days.  This is a big batch and you could easily halve it.  I chose tuna because we have tons of cans of it on hand that need to get used up.  You could also use salmon, which I am sure would be very yummy!

Tuna muffins with sauerkraut and cabbage & mayo.

Tuna Muffins

• 4 cans water packed tuna, drained
• 6 oz grated cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 2 small onions, diced or grated
• old bay seasoning to taste
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Break up the tuna in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.  Pour into muffin tins or silicone liners and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and cooked through, about 30-40 minutes.  Makes 18.

Part of Kelly The Kitchen Kop's Special Low Carb/Gluten Free Real Food Wednesday!!

A Few Days Into It...

I unofficially started Saturday, as in I drudgingly got on the scale and started tracking what I was eating.  Sunday was our last family gathering of the Holidays and I stuffed my face with some not diet friendly food (MIL's skor bar triffle, yum!).  Monday I started lower carbing/gluten free eating again.  Today, I am down 11lbs from when I weighed myself Saturday.  I keep getting on the scale to make sure it's right.  It is!  So taking the junk and processed carbs and gluten out has practically caused me to start melting!  Whoo!   I know it was mostly water weight, as some will call it.  When I gain weight quickly, it is quick to come off at first, then it starts slowing down.  I am still 20lbs from my recent low but I will get there, healthily.  I am eating lots of good healthy fats, I am getting my veggies, I am eating often and I am eating until I am satisfied.  I do not let myself get hungry.  That is when the "bad" stuff starts to look good.  I am tracking on Spark People for accountability, as I believe I mentioned before.

Some things I am making an effort to do are include more probiotics.  I am eating half a cup of plain yogurt at least once a day.  I am also eating sauerkraut at least once a day as well as eating a little liverwurst.  Taking vitamin d3 is important as is cod liver oil and I think I may have to start taking a good multivitamin as I can see from tracking my food I am not getting all the things I need.   I don't like to rely on supplements but I do think they have their place (especially when you live in a dark dreary place and there is not a great variety of local foods in season).

Kelly the Kitchen Kop is asking for recipe ideas.  I have tons of low carb ones but can you believe I didn't blog much about them in my LC blog?  I think I will have to make something interesting for lunch, maybe one of my favorite low carb dishes.  I am going to be trying out a bunch of things to see how well they freeze so I can have quick easy meals.  I like to visit the message board at LowCarbFriends.com as I have been a long time member there and there are soooo many ideas!  They even have once a month cooking threads (OAMC).  You kind of have to sift through some of the recipes as many contain questionable ingredients and things I don't use, like splenda, but it is easy to either omit or use something else.

Another site I like for recipes is Linda Sue's low carb recipe site.  There are tons of great ideas there, many of which come from the afore mentioned message board where she is a very active member.

So I will be posting a recipe in a little while.  It is 9:30am right now so plenty of time to make some foods before lunch.  The kids are now back at school and all is quiet on the homefront.  I have cleaning to do but that is easy to do while cooking!

Meal Plan Monday January 3rd, 2011

New Year, new chances.  If I am to make how I want to eat work, I need to start meal planning again.  This is all tentative and only for me and for the main meal of the day (the meal Mark is home for, varies due to his varying shifts).  If someone doesn't like what I have planned, I will make them something else.  I'm easy like that if it means sticking to what I want to eat, especially since I'm the only one eating all three meals a day at home (kids have lunch and sometimes breakfast at school and Mark eats at work).

Breakfast will generally be eggs and sometimes yogurt, maybe the occasional berries. My other meal will be leftovers, eggs, freezer stash food or something just thrown together.  I plan to occasionally spend a day cooking so I can have meals in the freezer that are easy for me to heat and eat.  Snacks will be things like hard boiled eggs, leftover bits of food, nibbles of cheese and lots of water.

I am eating lower carb but not no carb.  Veggies are good; they didn't make me big and unhealthy but I will avoid the high glycemic ones.  I am definately going to be no grain and I want to avoid treats for a while (there are tons of low carb healthy treats that I can make but they can be dangerous when trying to get back into the swing of eating right).

I will not repeat the above in future posts about meal planning :)

Meal Plan Monday January 3rd- Sunday January 9th 2011

Monday: Pork chops, mixed vegetables (broccoli, green and red peppers, onions)

Tuesday: Crockpot roasted chicken, green beans (freezer)

Wednesday: Corned Beef and Cabbage (at least I think it's corned beef; no potato for me)

Thursday: Chicken Stew (from leftover chicken and stock made from carcass; thickened with arrowroot powder)

Friday: Crustless pizza (regular pizza for family with sourdough crust.  If I'm motivated, I may make an oopsie-like crust for my pizza)

Saturday: Burgers (bunless for me; something like these French Onion burgers but without the icky ingredients sounds good!), coleslaw

Sunday: Ham or pork roast (have to see what we have in the freezer), veggies from freezer

I am doing Kelly The Kitchen Kop's challenge and I am also doing the Spark People 28 day boot camp challenge (but my own way).    I am determined to make major changes this year and I need accountability to myself in doing so.  This will be my year to shine!

Happy New Year!

It is the last day of 2010 and tomorrow we begin a new year.  I am still rolling in holiday treats.  Shaylee asked to buy chips today and I actually said that I'm sick of chips!  Yes, I said that!  I am tired of the treats and goodies and have a feeling some will find their way to the compost bin soon since I am usually the one to finish things off.

I have made some changes over the year but probably not as much progress as I would of hoped.  I am finding it easier to say no at the grocery store.  As I have mentioned, I am not perfect.  In time, I will get to where I want to be even if it takes a little longer than I would of liked.

Many of my favorite blogs are doing a recap of their most popular posts.  Out of curiosity, I checked the ones which got the most page views on this blog.   Here are the top five in descending order:

5. Chicken Soup x 2 .  This is still something I crave often.  
Chicken stew/soup=delicious!

4. Real Food In An Emergency Situation .  I don't know why this surprises me.  
I'm sure that many people are curious about it and it is still something I think 
aboutfrom time to time.


3. Big Mac Salad .  This is my all time favorite salad and I am glad so many 
people enjoyed it!


2. Move Over, Taco Bell .  Homemade tacos, way better than chain made!


1. Crackers! .  A very simple recipe yet it had the most views :)


I want to thank everyone who has visited my blog!  It is always nice to share things 
with other people.  There is such a great community of people in the real food world 
and I am glad to be a teeny tiny part of it :)


Happy New Year, Friends!

Honey Garlic Sauce

Well, due to an issue of burning out my frying pan, I never got to make those wontons last night.   It was pretty bad.

I did, however, make the honey garlic sauce I had planned to use and boy is it yummy!  I made sure there was enough left for when I can chisel out my frying pan.  Maybe this will give me incentive to finally de-rust and season my cast iron skillet.

Note to self, a frying steak can turn on you in an instant!  Good thing the steak was still delicious and barely burnt at all!  My pan on the other hand.....

The best thing about this sauce is it retains most of it's goodness since it is not heated to a nutrient killing cooking temperature.  I don't know if it would still be considered raw by some standards but in any case, it's far more delicious and nutritious than the jarred stuff at the store or what they serve in a Chinese restaurant!

Honey Garlic Sauce

1 cup of water or beef broth
1/2 cup of raw honey (or more to taste)
2 or more large cloves of garlic , finely minced or grated
1tbsp molasses
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1 heaping tbsp arrowroot powder/flour (or more if a thicker sauce is desired)

Honey garlic sauce on my basmati rice, veggies and steak,mmm!

Combine water/broth and honey in a small saucepan.  Stir well to mix and add garlic, molasses and Worcestershire sauce.  Heat at a low temperature until warmed.  Mix the second measure of water and arrowroot powder in a cup and add to the saucepan.  Keep stirring while it heats on low until it reaches desired consistency.

Cook Notes: I used water but I think it would be far better using beef broth.  The local garlic I use is huge.  Two cloves is half the bulb and is very potent so definitely adjust to taste!

Part of Simple Lives Thursday!

Taste Changing Seasonally?

I notice that my tastes are changing to reflect what is seasonal(ish).  Not entirely but getting there.

We live in a world where we can eat any food we want any day of the year.  Strawberries in January?   Yep, the store has them!  Salad on Christmas?  Why not!  Well, you get the picture.

I have always eaten salad year round, for example. Now it just does not appeal to me.  I have bought organic salad greens twice this month and other than my daughter who loves salad, it has largely gone uneaten and bad.  I bought some cherries the other day and they just were not good to me.  Over the years I realized that cucumbers any time of the year than when they come out of the garden are mealy and gross.  You can just tell when something does not taste right.

Let your labels be your guide.  If the produce at the grocery store has a local label, you will know that it was not shipped in from far away where it is either in season in another part of the world or artificially brought into season (usually they will say hot house if it is raised that way and I am still deciding how I feel about that but since hot houses are not common here, I guess I don't need to worry too much about it since I don't eat them).  (I edited this to add at our stores, it says where the food comes from either on the signs or labels.  If this is not the case where you shop, don't be afraid to ask!  If enough people ask for local food, it may drive demand for stores to carry it).

Find out what is in season locally.  While some places that are cold in the winter don't grow much in the winter, like here, many things keep well over winter and are considered winter vegetables.  This time next year I will be part of a CSA so I will find out just what they have this time of year.  Quite frankly, I'm really excited about that!!  See if that is an option in your area.

Eat what you stored.  I have tons of berries and veggies I froze when they were in season.  I didn't can this year at all but for some people, that is a great option.

Now, I'm not perfect.  I don't ever want anyone to get the idea that I do everything perfectly, no, no, no.  I still sometimes buy things that I'm not sure of, sometimes I go the cheap route because we're poor, sometimes I buy things because the kids like them and yes, more than I care to admit, we have eaten out recently at fast food joints (cringing inside because of the canola oil).  I am on a journey and I can't get there in one giant step, but in lots of baby steps.   Real food living takes a lot of changes, requires a new way of thinking and seeing things.  It is a process, one that is not popular in the "real world" in which I live in.

Now, today I am hoping to make what will be a real treat.  My favorite Chinese restaurant has something called "Honey Garlic Wonton Strips" which are so good.  Basically they fry thin strips of wonton wrappers and serve them in a heap with honey garlic sauce (which still has bits of the beef in it).  I am going to attempt something but with my sourdough.  It should be interesting :).  We want to have Chinese food for New Years Eve (I did cheat and buy a pack of frozen appetizers though.  Like I said, I'm not perfect!).

Part of Kelly The Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday!

Salisbury Steak

Jenny at the Nourished Kitchen recently posted a recipe for Salisbury Steak.  I was intrigued because I always loved those frozen dinners and it was the only way I could ever find this dish.  Why it didn't occur to me to make it is beyond me.

Her recipe is far more developed than what I made as I did not do a reduction sauce.  I didn't have any broth and we don't have wine (and de-alcoholized wine wasn't appealing to me).  I also used organic mini-bella mushrooms instead of wild ones as I did not want this lunch costing us $20+.  I was quite surprised that the organic mushrooms were the same price as the regular ones ($3), although both are grown without pesticides, so I wonder what the difference is.  With the beef being $2.50 a pound, for us it is a relatively inexpensive meal and it would go well with rice, potatoes or noodles of choice (we had it plain).  The meat could also be stretched with soaked oatmeal or sourdough bread crumbs or another traditionally prepared starch.

So basically, visit Jenny's site if you want the full flavor experience of a well bodied salisbury steak.  Check my recipe out for a quick and cheap version ;)

Quick and Easy Salisbury Steak

2tbsp. butter
1lbs grass fed beef
1/2 tsp. sea salt

2-4 tbsp. butter
1/2 lbs mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1 cup chopped onions

Salisbury Steak on our fancy second hand Tupperware plates.

Melt butter in frying pan.  Form beef into 4 or more patties and fry until done.  Remove patties and add butter to frying pan.  Use it to loosen any yummy bits of beef left in pan and to well coat the pan.  Add the mushrooms and onions, stir to coat with butter and gently cook until onions are done to desired texture (I like mine a little crispy).  Serve patties with mushroom onion mix on top.  Yum!

Mark and I thought this was very good!  We actually used all the mushroom onion mix on our two patties since we didn't eat it with anything so I have two burger patties for another meal.  Total cost of this meal for me was about $6.50 and we get two meals out of it (not including what I use for the other meal).  We could not eat out for that and this is mostly organic, locally grown/produced goodness.

Delicious!


This post is a part of  Tuesday Twister@ GNOWFGLINS

Giveaway@ Cheeseslave: Zukay Fermented Kvass

Link: Giveaway: Zukay Fermented Kvass » CHEESESLAVE

We all love free stuff, eh? Well, Cheeseslave is having a worldwide contest where you can enter for a chance to win a 6 pack of Zukay Fermented Kvass, and you can choose the flavours. Doesn't that sound wonderful? It is a great contest and the winner will get a fabulous prize. So click on the link above to find one of the many ways you can enter!

Stew and "English" Muffins

Since my sourdough starter was doing really well, I decided it was time to do something with it.  I really liked the no-knead dough in a bucket idea so I ran with it.  The ratio is 6-3-3-13, which is 6 cups of water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 cups starter and 13 cups of flour.  I mixed it all together very well and placed in a large food container I purchased (I knew I couldn't get a bucket in my fridge so I got a rectangular container which is flat and fits well).  I then put it in the fridge overnight.

To make the English Muffins, or rustic muffins since they are not cut out, I just sprinkled the top of the took a small amount of dough and shaped it into a thin circular shape.  I was making stew at the time so I wanted to wait until that was done before I started to cook them.  I let my cast iron 2-burner griddle heat up and cooked on each side until browned.

The stew was just a basic beef stew with lots of veggies.  I feel I have not eaten enough vegetables so I was really craving them.  Here is what supper looked like:

Big Bowl O' Beef Stew and english muffins, aerial view.

Close up, after butter melted.

The english muffins puffed up a lot waiting to cook them so I found they didn't cook all the way through even though I was only cooking them on three.  They will be great for toasting, but I do not like doughy bread products where the middle is kind of uncooked (Mark does).  I will probably make them again, but a lot thinner as I didn't realize just how puffy they would get.  I did eat the outer crust and it was yummy :).  I'm not sure what I'll make next as there are so many things.  I may make tortillas because there is something yummy I want to make soon.  Cinnamon rolls are also a big hit here.

Party Loaves

I didn't know what else to call these since there are so many variations which one could make.

On Tuesday, my family had their annual Christmas party.  I made fudge to bring but changed my mind after I left it in the fridge too long and it got kind of dried out and a little too eaten (Mark and the kids were taking pieces which were 4-6 piece serving sizes since I hadn't cut it.  It was kind of hard to cut since it had marshmallows in it.  Yes, delicious Christmas junk!).

This left me at the last minute trying to decide what to make.  A woman at church often makes a ham and cheese loaf but I couldn't find anything online that resembled it.  So I made my own version!

I made a loaf sized batch of dough.  This would work well with sourdough and I plan to make it when I get my sourdough on the go.  A loaf sized batch of bread dough will make three.  Divide it into three equal parts.

Roll the dough into either an oval or a rectangle shape.  I did it on parchment paper to make it easy to transfer.  Then on either side, make about eight slits which are about a third of the width on each side leaving the middle third uncut, which is where you put your toppings of choice (I made a ham and cheese one with a base of mayo and I made a pizza one which had pepperoni, mozza and a base of tomato sauce.  Sorry they are sideways, I forgot to rotate them and I'm too lazy to redo it ;) ):

Rolled out dough.

Mayo, ham and cheese.

Pizza toppings, I kept it basic.

 After you have your toppings on the dough, start braiding the sides.  Kind of tuck in the tops and bottoms to seal them in.  Next time, I think I would coat with an egg wash before baking.  

Braided loaf.

 After you braid your loaf (loaves), bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour.  Slice and serve!

Finishes loaves on plate, cut into pieces and my itty bitty netbook in the background ;)

This was a hit at the party!  Everyone loved them and they were soooo goood!  You could put any toppings you like, even making it a sweet loaf.  It would be good to assemble, wrap and freeze to have on hand as something to cook on short notice or for an easy lunch/supper.  It probably took an hour and a half from the time I started the dough until it was cut and we were out the door, but that was only because I left for an hour to shop while the dough was in the bread machine.  If you made a bunch, it wouldn't even take any extra time.  I am planning to make some and along with some other goodies, will be part of our Christmas Day brunch :)

My Sourdough Starter

I started another starter on Sunday because my previous attempts were pretty disastrous.  Here is my little beast tonight:

Whoo!  My baby is growing!  When I stirred it down, it was about half the amount so I dumped half and did my feeding.  I always get a lot of hooch when I make a starter.  Today I had a thick layer on the top after about 2 hours so I added a quarter cup of just whole wheat flour and it was fine.  Then tonight I had a mass of bubbles!  Basically what I'm doing is adding 1/4 cup each of water and whole wheat flour every 12 hours, stirring vigorously, scraping the sides down, covering with a cloth napkin and putting it in the cupboard (we have a serious fruit fly problem at the moment and my ferments aren't helping!).  I may start adding a little extra flour at each feeding because it is eating it up like crazy.

I should soon be able to start using it.  The videos from the sourdough e-course through gnowfglins.com were so helpful.  There was a bucket method shown, which is similar to the artisan bread in 5 minutes method.  She had a friend on it who was more of a "little of this and a little of that" like me, so it seemed like a method that would work well for me.  They made bread, cinnamon rolls, pita, english muffins and so on from it.  Very cool.  My fridge is teeny tiny so I may have to move shelves around to get a little bucket in there.

Sad Day

>


Wardeh, you have change my life.  Your e-course was spectacular and I learned so much.  I wish I could continue my membership but things are financially really hard and that extra money is needed for groceries.  If things look up, I'll be back in a heart beat.  The videos and accompanying dialogue made everything so clear and really help me see and understand how to make traditional foods (can you believe dialogue is not in my spellcheck but Facebook is?).


I have spent the last few days watching videos.  I even dreamed Wardeh was with me on a cross province trip, making stops at bake offs last night and checking water levels in small communities, lol!  Yeah, kind of weird!


So friends, if you are overwhelmed and not sure how to get going with traditional food preparation, I highly recommend signing up for these e-courses.  Click the banner for a link.  It is very reasonably priced with courses for all price ranges but it is still a hardship for us right now.


I am planning to do a complete overhaul of our eating in the new year.  I am going to find things the kids LIKE.  I am tired of catering to their picky food likes.  They even turn their noses up at things most kids love!  I am making tacos for lunch and while I just have my son home, I am hoping he will try and like them (I once made them too spicy so they would never eat them again.  Update: it is like trying to get a rock to eat.  He will not try it, just nibbling some of the tortilla.  He was moaning and upset over trying something new; have I mentioned he has sensory food issues?).    I have my dough resting for tortillas and while my hamburger is frozen, I find it's easy to cook if it is going to be in crumbles anyway.  It is a quick, easy to prepare lunch.


I don't really have any recipes because to be honest, I haven't really been cooking.  I have still been very sick and very tired.  This illness has taken a lot out of me.  I haven't had the energy to keep up with dishes (until this morning, every single dish, utensil and pot and pan was dirty, literally).  I haven't had the energy to shop.  I haven't  felt like making real food, even though I made a pot of stew and a batch of rolls for a friend who just had a baby.  We have been relying on easy junk and it is showing.  I am so bloated and ill and I know it's not helping me get better eating junk.  My Candida is so bad it is affecting my mouth so I know I need to get the sugar and refined grains out.


So enough whining.  I will be better prepared in the new year.  Wardeh is a great example of organization.  When I watch,I think she must have OCD too, lol!!  (I have OCD but a weird kind)  I must meal plan again.  I must stop wasting food and making better use of the food we have.    There is a lot I want to do but the ultimate goal will be to nourish our bodies.

Where Have I Been?

Well, I can't account for the whole time I was gone but for the  most part I was sick.  Not sort of sick, not really sick, but the sickest I have ever been in my entire life!!  I am entirely serious.  Mark keeps saying he can't believe how sick I am, that he's never seen me so bad ever.  It's true.  The first couple of days were a blur because of my extreme fever.  It's funny as I had been tracking my temperature for reasons I'll write of after then all of a sudden, it was super high.

Then when my fever broke, I started getting cold sores.  I have always had them from time to time.  But not like these suckers!  My whole right side of my face was puffed up and it was so blistered I couldn't move my mouth. My neck glands were so swollen that I could not sleep laying down since it hurt my neck so bad being on a pillow.  Yesterday they were at their worst and today they are almost gone.

How?

The miracle of coconut oil!  I had been putting it on since I got the cold sores and the healing process has been going very fast.  I've healed what would normally take a week in two days.  I am simply amazed.  This morning I was carefully wiping my mouth off after eating something and layers of scabs came off (sorry, gross I know!). There is no swelling, just some scabbing which will probably go away quickly.

Wow.  Food really is medicine!

So why did I get so sick?  First of all, I think a big reason is that I haven't been taking my Vitamin D and cod liver oil regularly.  I did last year and never got sick (except the odd cold).  As well, I believe that I have adrenal fatigue.  I was actually going to write about it much sooner, actually, right after my last post I was thinking of what I was going to write.  Then things started happening.  There was a lot of stress in the family, our washing machine broke, things piling up around the house, money problems, other things I can't even remember, Christmas, just stress stress everywhere.  Plus I had taken to eating poorly because I have no energy to do anything.

I started looking up about it and came across Matt Stone's 180 degree health blog.  I was blown over because he could of been talking about me.  It's been nearly a couple of week since I read it (well, 10 days as I found it the day I wrote my last post).  He talks about RRARF, recuperative (or is it restorative) rest and refeeding.  It is a way of healing your metabloism so you can function again.  Basically, you find out if you have metabolic damage by taking your temperature every morning for a week.  If it unusually low, then you proceed (my average is 96.5, sometimes its lower).  Then, you spend about a month resting and eating.  Not just eating everything, but a specific way and as often as your body needs.  And I haven't gotten to what you do after that yet.

I don't want to butcher it but if you sign up, you get a free e-book which explains everything.  It just makes so much sense to me and why I am the way I am.  It helped me understand why I am so darn tired all the time and have so much trouble losing weight.  It is a life numbing, crippling fatigue that I am hoping that I can over come because no one understands what it is like.  I plan to start in January simply because of the stresses of December and holiday eating.

I am still recuperating from being sick so I have not been cooking.  I was hoping to have some holiday recipes on the go but I think I have to find my kitchen first ;)

Get Well

Link to Kelly The Kitchen Kop: Announcing the 21-Day Wellness & Weight Loss Adventure: Coming January 3rd, 2011

I need this. I mean REALLY need it! I feel like I am spiraling out of control food-wise and with Christmas this month, I know it is going to get worse.

Funny thing is that if I compare how I eat to how I ate a year ago, I know I'm eating much better. Much healthier. But it's not enough because I am heavier than I was last year. I need to get stronger, be firmer in my resolve not to have junk in the house and work on my family to eat real food as if our lives depend on it because I firmly believe it does.

I am going to have two sets of goals, one for me and one for the family. I am stricter with myself for a number of reasons but the main one is that I seem to be the only one who cannot tolerate many carbs. If I limit them, I end up binging. That is where I am right now; I can't get enough!

So after Christmas, after New Year, when the holiday feasting is done, I am going to get down to business.

It will take me a while to work on my goals because I am not entirely sure just what it is I want to accomplish. I have my ideals but I want to make them workable. I do not want to set myself up for failure. My main objectives are to get healthy and lose weight. I know being the weight I am is setting me up for potential health problems and I am not getting any younger. I need to get moving, even if it is only a 10 minute walk a day to start out (walking the kids to the bus stop is a 20 minute walk each time, so I could do that even just to pick them up).

I am tired of being tired. I am tired of how things are, of having ideals and not pulling through, especially when I am weak at the grocery store and pick up food which is not ideal. it is hard to change. It is hard to go against the grain. But it will be worth it :)

Light I Like

Ours does not look like this but I think it's
too new in Canada to find an online picture :)

Sometimes we will have compromise foods in our life, especially when starting out trying to eat better (especially with very picky kids!!).  For example, a quick easy meal that I can make in minutes is spaghetti and meatballs.  The meatballs are frozen (precooked, I throw them in with the pasta to cook), I use whole wheat pasta and the kids favorite sauce is Ragu, straight from the bottle.  That is my compromise as it has soy oil in it, one of the things I try hard to avoid.  I do like that it is in a bottle instead of the bpa lined cans (although the lids most likely have it).  Plus I find it has a better taste (I have grown to hate the taste of canned foods).

Now, here in Canada we don't get products  like they do in the US.  I have been looking for sugar cookie Celestial Seasonings for years and have finally given up, for example.  When I was low carbing and into the products, they didn't come here for a couple of years after they were in the states.

This week Ragu was on sale for $1 a bottle so I was stocking up (it's usually about $3 a bottle).  There was a new kind, light spaghetti sauce so I got half original and half light.  When I got home, I realized the light had no soy oil in it!  Whoo hoo!  I know what I'll be buying from now on!  I went back and got some more because we use a bottle a week between spaghetti, pizza and other dishes.

Photo credit: http://www.meijermealbox.com/Websites/meijermealbox/Images/124080a.jpg