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  • A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat. Old New York Proverb

    There is no sight on earth more appealing than the sight of a woman making dinner for someone she loves. Thomas Wolfe

    It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician. Meryl Streep

    We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons. Alfred E. Newman

    As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again. Leslie Newman

    After dinner sit a while, and after supper walk a mile. English Saying

    When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. Laiko Bahrs

    If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food. Sally Edwards

    Researchers have discovered that chocolate produced some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two, but can't remember what they are. Author Unknown

    He that eats till he is sick must fast till he is well. English Proverb

    In general, mankind, since the improvement in cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires. Benjamin Franklin

    Most of the food allergies die under garlic and onion. Martin H. Fischer

    I prefer to regard a dessert as I would imagine the perfect woman: subtle, a little bittersweet, not blowsy and extrovert. Delicately made up, not highly rouged. Holding back, not exposing everything and, of course, with a flavor that lasts. Graham Kerr

    Happiness is a bowl of cherries and a book of poetry under a shade tree. Astrid Alauda

    No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. Channing Pollock

    I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock. Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

    Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. Voltaire

    Food is an important part of a balanced diet. Fran Lebowitz

    Chemicals, n: Noxious substances from which modern foods are made. Author Unknown

    There is a lot more juice in grapefruit than meets the eye. Author Unknown

    Chocolate is like medicine - but as with medicine, the key is the proper dose. Don't overdo it. Edward "Grandpa" Jones

    All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! Charles Schulz

    Happiness is life served up with a scoop of acceptance, a topping of tolerance and sprinkles of hope, although chocolate sprinkles also work. Robert Brault

    Dyspepsia is the remorse of a guilty stomach. A. Kerr

    It would be nice if the Food and Drug Administration stopped issuing warnings about toxic substances and just gave me the names of one or two things still safe to eat. Robert Fuoss

    The greatest delight the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me and I to them. Ralph Waldo Emerson

    After eating chocolate you feel godlike, as though you can conquer enemies, lead armies, entice lovers. Emily Luchetti

    The spirit cannot endure the body when overfed, but, if underfed, the body cannot endure the spirit. St Frances de Sales

    Plant a radish, get a radish, never any doubt. That's why I love vegetables, you know what they're about! Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

    Anyhow, the hole in the doughnut is at least digestible. H.L. Mencken

    Stored away in some brain cell is the image of a long-departed aunt you haven't thought of in 30 years. Stored away in another cell is the image of a pink pony stitched on your first set of baby pajamas. All it takes to get that aunt mounted on the back of that pony is to eat a hunk of meatloaf immediately before going to bed. Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

    Sugar is a type of bodily fuel, yes, but your body runs about as well on it as a car would. V.L. Allineare

    The breakfast slimes, angel food cake, doughnuts and coffee, white bread and gravy cannot build an enduring nation. Martin H. Fischer

    As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists. Joan Gussow

    Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are. Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

    Soup is liquid comfort. Author Unknown

    Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. Jim Davis

    My soul is dark with stormy riot, Directly traceable to diet.Samuel Hoffenstein

    One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright

    Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people. Elizabeth Berry

    Food is so primal, so essential a part of our lives, often the mere sharing of recipes with strangers turns them into good friends. Jasmine Heiler

    Hunger is the best sauce in the world. Cervantes

    Eat little, sleep sound. Iranian Proverb

    This is every cook's opinion -no savory dish without an onion, but lest your kissing should be spoiledyour onions must be fully boiled.Jonathan Swift

    The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor. Chinese Proverb

    If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective? Ymber Delecto

  • We’re Trying to Keep This Orphanage Open. Can You Give $5 or $25 to Help it Thrive?

    Los Ninos Orphanage
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February 25, 2010

Jen’s Tuscan Bean Soup

This is an easy soup recipe that I found in a magazine years ago and amended to our taste. My kids like it because of the shell pasta. It freezes well so you can save leftovers for a busy day in the future.

Jen’s Tuscan Bean Soup

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 2 C or 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 4 C broth
  • 4 C or 2 cans cooked kidney beans
  • 2 tsp powdered thyme
  • 2 C whole grain seashell pasta
  • 1 C packed spinach or chard, chopped (or substitute frozen green peas in a pinch)
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt (I prefer Real Garlic salt-I’m addicted to it actually)

First chop your pepper, onion and garlic. The easiest way to do this is with a small chopper. They’re cheap, save a ton of time, and make it hard for kids to pick things out.

Put the chopped onion, pepper and garlic in a pot with the olive oil. Sauté until softened (about 5 min).

Add tomatoes, beans,

and broth. I have some broth powder I use, but this time I used some liquid bouillon I bought at Costco. They both work. Homemade is the healthiest, of course.

Prepare your broth before adding to pot.

Simmer for 15-20 min while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Chop your spinach or chard. This can easily be done with a knife. I line up the leaves,

snip off the stems,

and cut into slices.

Measure your thyme,

and salt. Sea salt is much healthier than the bleached, chemicalized iodine stuff at the grocery store, and it tastes considerably better.

Add thyme, salt and pasta to the pot to simmer for 5 minutes. If you let it cook for much longer than this, the pasta will absorb more broth and get very large. This is fine, but I added more water and salt  the last time it happened.

Then add the greens last.

Serve with toast or wheat crackers and fresh ground pepper. A one-pot meal. Yum!

January 18, 2010

Homemade Maple Syrup

This syrup is the yummiest thing ever to eat with homemade waffles and pancakes. It only takes 10 minutes to make and contains no corn syrup, white sugar, preservatives or other harmful ingredients.

Mike’s Maple Syrup

  • 2 Cups Sucanat or Brown Sugar
  • 2 Cups Light Natural Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals (white sugar used here would still make healthier than typical store syrup)
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 1 TB Maple Extract
  • 1/2 TB Vanilla Extract

Brown Sugar for Maple Syrup

Along with making the syrup taste really good, sucanat is mainly unrefined so it still contains much of it’s original vitamins and minerals. I can tell when I eat much white sugar. It weakens my immune system, makes my throat sore and turns me into a witch, which doesn’t happen when I eat this healthier sugar. It won’t spike your pancreas like white sugar does, which is important if you’re worried at all about diabetes (though diabetics should still eat in moderation).

Call your local health food store and see if you can order a big bag (about .89 lb). The small ones are too costly. I can substitute the sucanat for most recipes that call for brown sugar, and the dried cane juice (about $1 lb) works well for recipes calling for white sugar. You may think this expensive, but so are doctor visits. Using healthy ingredients, especially sugar, is one reason we’ve stayed out of the doctor’s office for several years now. It’s good prevention.

Sugar for Maple Syrup

Put the 4 cups of sugar in a medium to large size pot. Add 2 cups of water and stir to dissolve.

Maple Syrup Sugar Dissolved

Add 1 tablespoon maple extract and 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Good maple extract is hard to find. I’ve bought lots of flavoring and finally realized I had to use double or triple the amount. The small bottles are expensive and don’t last long so I buy a 32 oz bottle once a year.

Maple, Vanilla Extracts

Heat to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Maple Syrup Boiling

This syrup is not as thick as the store bought kind, but we’re used to it. The flavor is out of this world! Pour it in a glass measuring cup to serve or wait until it cools and put it in a plastic container.

Syrup in container

Our favorite with waffles, pancakes and french toast!

January 16, 2010

Our Popular Breakfast: Whole Wheat Waffles

Whether we have company or it’s just us, waffles are always a big hit. And you’ll think you’re at some fancy bed n’ breakfast when you try them with Mike’s homemade maple syrup or my gourmet strawberry syrup. All healthy, of course.

Waffles

Whole Wheat Waffles

  • 4 Cups White Wheat Flour
  • 2 2/3 TB Baking Powder
  • 1 TB Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 4 Cups Milk or Water (we use rice milk)
  • 2 TB Olive Oil
  • 1 TB Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs

After cutting refined foods off my shopping list, I was delighted to discover white wheat flour. It’s a whole wheat flour made from hard white winter wheat berries. It’s much lighter in color and texture than red wheat, but still rises well. So I buy it in 50 lb bags and use it for all our breads.

WW Flour for waffles

Mike is the expert waffle maker at our home. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

  • 4 Cups White Wheat Flour
  • 2 2/3 TB Baking Powder
  • 1 TB Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Salt

Measuring for waffles

Mix well with a large wisk or spoon.

Stir dry waffle ingredients

Next prepare the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl. Mike just puts them all into a large measuring cup.

  • 4 Cups Milk or Water (we use rice milk)
  • 2 TB Olive Oil
  • 1 TB Vanilla Extract

Oil, extract to waffle milk

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Mixing waffle batter with wisk

Then 2 eggs. Separate the yolks from the whites. This makes the waffles fluffier, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Skip this step if you don’t have time.

Separating Eggs

Keep the yolk in one half of the egg shell,

Egg separate to other shell

then carefully pour into the other half to let the whites drop out. We’ve used a couple fancy egg separating tools, but never found one that worked as well as this method. It’s an art that our kids are trying to learn.

Seth cracking egg

Throw those yolks straight in with the mixed batter.

Add yolks to waffle batter

Then whip the eggs with beaters for a couple minutes.

Blending egg whites

They should have slight peaks and look like this. It’s not that hard, really!

Egg whites done

Then fold the whites into the batter.

Mixed Waffle Batter

You’re ready to pour. Spray your waffle iron well with light olive oil or cooking spray.

Pouring Waffle Batter

Cook in your waffle iron.

I love mine somewhat crispy with organic butter and homemade syrup. Notice the difference between the color of organic and non-organic butter. The organic is deeper yellow, which is what you get from grass-fed cows.

Organic butter

It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals. It generally costs twice as much as the regular, so I wait until it’s on sale at the health food store. I stock up and freeze most of it.

Waffle Breakfast

Get out your homemade syrup and enjoy!

December 20, 2009

Roasted Maple Nuts

This recipe has been my favorite holiday treat for years. I can eat it, still feel good, and the healthy sugar only makes it taste better.

Roasted Maple Nuts Web Read more…

November 22, 2009

Chili and Then Some

Posted in Food      

I’ve had this recipe for many years, and it’s always been a main staple for our family. The seasonings are what make it so flavorful. Bland chili is a disappointment to me, so I really like to give ours some zip.

Chili Done Read more…

October 31, 2009

Fresh Juice: It Does A Body Good

Living food gives me energy. Every so often I get weighed down from eating too much cooked or processed food, and I just need something cleansing, yummy, and easy for my body to assimilate. My answer is juice.

I know there are people that say juice is bad because you’re not getting your fiber. Please don’t get me wrong. I love fiber. I eat it and drink it every day. I blend green fruit drinks every morning. Juicing is a once a week to bi-weekly event. I recommend that you blend some greens often, but when you really want a heavenly energy elixir, try fresh juice.

I get out my Breville Juice Fountain Elite. I went through lots of juicers before I found this gem. It is amazing, but it’s definitely an investment. A worthy investment.

Juicer Read more…

September 18, 2009

Perfect, Pumpkin, Chocolate Chip Bread & Muffins

The second I see the first pumpkin at the farmer’s market, I start craving pumpkin muffins.

IMG_0532

These are even better the next morning. They’ll indulge you for days. Read more…

September 14, 2009

Fast Family Nutrition From a Pro

How do you balance out our life-draining, energy-stealing, sad, American diet . . . with delicious, fast, easy, super-concentrated nutrition?

I recently discovered a girl who’s been sharing the same information on nutrition that I advocate and strive to live.

She calls herself Green Smoothie Girl (.com), and she’s got many exceptional videos including one on “How to Make a Green Smoothie.” She’s family friendly, and brings everything to a new level of easiness.

Our family has been drinking green smoothies for a long time, but after reading her stuff I’ve been drinking smoothies on a daily basis. I forgot how much energy I have when I’m consistent, and with six kids, I need it!

I thought energy would be the biggest benefit for me, but I’ve had less aches and pains (despite being too busy to exercise for a while), my digestion has been better, and . . . my teeth have gotten whiter, I swear, just in the last two weeks!

She’s worth checking out.

September 8, 2009

Making Applesauce: Family Style

After eating flavorless applesauce from the store, thinking about the homemade stuff makes me salivate. So when I found a smashing deal on small, tart apples at the farmer’s market, I had to go for it. Besides, my handsome honey loves tart apples.

Tart Apples from Farmer's Market Read more…

August 29, 2009

Fabulous Family Frozen Yogurt

Have you ever made frozen yogurt with fresh strawberries?

Everything else blands in comparison. If you eat this in the heat of the summer, you’ll find it hard to believe anything could be so freshly exquisite. And it’s so easy to make! We eat it during the winter, too, just not as often.

IMG_0482 Read more…

  • About Jenni

    I am a do-it-yourself, happily married, mother of six rambunctious kids. I finished my master herbalist degree this past summer-whew! I am passionate about empowering people, especially women, mothers and fathers, to be teachers, chefs, and doctors in their own homes.
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  • Disclaimer:

    I am not a doctor (that would be my husband). Any advice or recommendations you find on this site should not be construed as medical advice. I do not claim to be able to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease (you can do that yourself). If you choose to follow my example, you will be taking responsibility for your own health and wellness.

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