I start out making a mix. This saves tons of time in the long run, because you only have to measure the dry ingredients once. The mix batch is big, so you’ll need 2 huge bowls like this or a big soup pot.

Peppermint Brownie Mix

Makes 11 batches, 8×8 pan size. Each batch makes 9-12 brownies.

• 9 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 TB baking powder (non-aluminum)
• 2 TB salt (sea salt’s the best)
• 12 ½ cups sugar (I use evaporated cane juice crystals)
• 12 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (these make all the difference!)
• 5 tsp vanilla powder (or use 1 tsp extract when baking)

Directions

1. Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl. Mix well.
2. Add vanilla & chocolate chips. Mix well.
3. Measure 2 cups into quart freezer bags (for 8×8 pan recipe, or 4 cups for 9×13 pan size recipe). Makes 11 bags.
4. Label each bag (8×8 size) with the following: Add 2 eggs, ¼ cup melted butter & 4 drops peppermint essential oil or flavoring (may need more than 2 drops). Add extract if you didn’t use vanilla powder. Mix with beaters. Batter will be SUPER thick. Just spread it like frosting in your greased glass or stone pan (never aluminum) and it will rise up.
5. Bake at 350 ° for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife. For slightly fudgy brownies, take pan out 5-10 min early.

I put a couple batches in a gallon size bag to have on hand for social events when I need more brownies. Label your bags!

So tonight we made a double batch. We dumped a big bag in a bowl and added double the wet ingredients with the oil.

Using peppermint essential oil gives the flavor so much zip! Beat ingredients with a blender.

The dough will be very thick. Spread it like frosting in a glass or stone pan. Pampered Chef stones are my favorite!

Be forwarned that while these are baking, your home will smell so good everyone’s mouth will be watering!

This brownie recipe is great because the sides don’t rise higher as in many other recipes.

Slice brownies before they are completely cool, as the crust will harden and make them harder to cut.

We are planning to take these to the closing social for Raquel’s summer art class.

When you use unrefined ingredients, the taste you get is so substantial and real. I love this taste so much more than cheap food varieties.

These brownies are always a big hit!

This is a great way to use up leftover veggies and extra produce. It’s a big hit in my house!

Jenni’s Basil Quiche

1 large tomato (or 2 sm-med), sliced
1 packed cup spinach, chopped
6 medium eggs, beaten (for large size, try 4-5)
2 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 (9 inch) pie crust, lightly baked (I do 6-8 minutes at 400)

Sprinkle cheese on bottom of baked pie crust.

Arrange tomato slices on cheese and spinach over slices.

Add basil & salt to eggs and beat in with a fork.

Pour over spinach and lightly stir so spinach is all wet and covered. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Top and crust should be lightly brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating.

Here are substitutes you can use for either the tomato or spinach:
cooked broccoli
shredded zucchini
chopped asparagus
onion, sauteed

If you love garlic, add 1 or 2 cloves to the egg mixture. If you like fluffier quiche, try 1/4 cup milk and 1-2 less eggs.

When adding extra veggies, you may need to extend cooking time by 5-15 minutes. Slide a knife in the middle and peek to the bottom. If you see liquid, cook longer in 5 minute increments.

These have all worked well for me.

Enjoy!

I’m sure there are several ways to make this idea a reality, but I’m going to share my own healthy, cereal favorites.

This is the magic appliance I use. It’s a Zojirushi 10-Cup Rice Cooker.

A crock pot could work, but only if it has a warm setting. The low setting still cooks things too much. This rice cooker has 2 settings: cook and warm.

All year of instant breakfast is well worth investing in one of these babies.

Steel cut oats take the prize for the easiest, no-brainer breakfast.

Use 1 cup steel cut oats to 3 cups of water. For 6 kids and 3 adults I triple the batch using 9 cups of water, 3 cups oats.

Many times there are leftovers, which I store in the fridge to reheat for the next morning’s breakfast. Cold leftovers work well in the summer months.

Pour your water into the cooker. Then measure your oats.

Give it a stir.

Close the lid and leave on the warm setting all night. In the morning, vuala!

I pull the pot out of the cooker and add a cup of ice to cool it down fast. This only takes a minute.

I then add my 2 most beloved ingredients, cinnamon and stevia. You can add these the night before if you want your breakfast truly instant.

The stevia is a natural herb sweetener that is non-caloric. A little of KAL Pure Stevia Extract goes a long way. Start with a small amount (it has a tiny spoon inside) and taste to discover your preferred level of sweetness.

These added to most cereals can make it the yummiest thing you’ve ever tasted.

If you’re starting with 1 cup oats to 3 cups water, start with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a scant 1/8 tsp (or 2 mini scoops) of stevia.

The next 2 winners, brown rice and millet, I put in the cooker at night and just push the cook button, let the grain cook while I’m getting ready for bed, then unplug the cooker, leave the lid closed and serve in the morning. It stays good on the counter overnight.

Alternately, sometimes I’ll measure at night, let the grain soak overnight, and then hit the cook button in the morning. It takes about 20 minutes.

I use brown basmati rice. It has a sweet, nutty flavor, is very nutritious and is good to eat sweetened for breakfast or buttered for dinner.

The measurement is 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. For my family I usually use 3 1/2 cups of rice to 7 cups water.

Then I add stevia, cinnamon and some rice milk to taste. It’s hard to go wrong here. Taste as you go. It’s like having rice pudding for breakfast. Sometimes I blend it with extra milk or water to make cream of rice. Love it!

Millet is a high protein grain with its own nutty flavor that works well for breakfast OR dinner (with butter & garlic salt, of course).

Add stevia, cinnamon & milk. (Am I repeating myself here?)

It tastes soooooo good, especially with fresh strawberries and milk.

I usually try to keep a container of soaked almonds in the fridge to add to my breakfast cereal.

Soaked almonds stay good for several days in water in the fridge. You can chop them if you like.

Almonds are on my top 10 of all-time healthy foods. They have live enzymes which give them a delectable crunch and make them easier to digest. Their calcium is very absorb-able.

A dash of stevia and pure maple syrup added to sliced strawberries makes a beautiful, delicious and irresistible topping for your breakfast table. Sliced bananas or other fresh fruit are also great.

My kids would love to eat this topping straight out of the bowl!

Even the pickiest eaters will eventually succumb to these healthy and oh, so convenient meals!

Save time, truly nourish, and please your palate. Give it a try!

Here are the measurements and stove-top directions:

Steel Cut Oats-1 cup to 3 cups water

Stove top directions-bring to a boil stirring constantly until well thickened. About 10 minutes.

Brown Rice or Millet-1 cup to 2 cups water

Stove top directions-bring to a boil, then simmer, covered until liquid is absorbed. About 20 minutes.

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!

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

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.

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

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.

Heat to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

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.

Our favorite with waffles, pancakes and french toast!

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.

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

Mix well with a large wisk or spoon.

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

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

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.

Keep the yolk in one half of the egg 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.

Throw those yolks straight in with the mixed batter.

Then whip the eggs with beaters for a couple minutes.

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

Then fold the whites into the batter.

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

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.

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.

Get out your homemade syrup and enjoy!

The ingredients can get a bit expensive, which is why I buy in bulk beforehand, but it’s worth every penny for at least one batch. We wrap the nuts festively and share them with our best friends.

The Yummiest Spice Combo Ever (Chili Powder, Cinnamon & Allspice)

• 2 C almonds (use all raw nuts)
• 1 C pecans
• 1 C walnuts
• 1 C cashew pieces
• 1 C pumpkin seeds (the green raw kind)
• 1/2 C Sucanat or Florida Crystals (dried cane juice)
• 1/2 C Pure Maple Syrup (don’t settle for the fake stuff)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp chili powder mix
• 1 tsp allspice

Chop or break big nuts into halves or smaller pieces.

In a large bowl mix the spices together,

then add the sugar and maple syrup and stir.

Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Line two large baking pans with parchment paper (it’s oh so easy to clean afterward) and heat your oven to 350°.

Lightly spray the parchment paper with oil and spread mixture evenly between the pans.

Bake for 12-15 minutes on the middle rake, stirring once, until nuts are slightly brown. Watch these like a hawk when they’re almost done so they don’t over brown.

Let pans cool for 10 minutes, then pull paper and nuts onto a rake or counter to finish cooling. The mixture hardens as it cools. Break into pieces.

Here’s the gift basket I made for some family friends. The nuts are in a festive bag within the basket.

These baskets are so easy to make! The most important thing to do is hit the after Christmas sales and buy cellophane, ribbon (Costco has it for cheap before Christmas), bags and inexpensive buckets or containers.

I included a loaf of bread in this one, but a few pieces of fruit goes a long way to make it beautiful. Then I just put in my goodies in a separate bag, wrap the whole thing in cellophane and add a pretty ribbon.

Do-it-yourself, beautiful gift giving and addictive, delicious yet healthy, holiday treats.

Start with an onion.

I use a small electric chopper.  Easy and the kids can’t pick out pieces. You usually can find these cheap at yard sales. They are an invaluable tool in the kitchen, especially when you’re cooking for picky kids.

Cut the onion into chunks.

You can let the kids help with this part. They love to push those buttons! Pulse for big pieces and chunkier chili, or keep it running until the pieces are fine. Add in the garlic so you don’t have to press it or cut it by hand.

This recipe can be made with or without meat. I like this recipe with meat.  I usually cook up a couple pounds of ground beef (my grandpa has a ranch, so we get meat from that), and freeze most of it for future batches. Add 1-2 cups of ground beef to the chili. I prefer using meat as a condiment, not a main dish.

To get softer onions and peppers and make them less noticeable (for picky eaters), just cook them a little longer. They’ll blend right in and they won’t even know they’re there.

Grab 2 cans of tomato sauce and beans. I like kidney and black, but pinto works too. Add 2 small cans (or 1 big can) of tomato sauce to the onions, peppers and meat.

Add 1 Tablespoon of an Italian herb blend,

2 teaspoons cumin powder,

2 Tablespoons of chili powder,

and 1 teaspoon mustard powder.

Get 1 cup of corn (if you’re using frozen corn as I normally do, put it in a strainer and rinse to defrost), and add it to the pot. Then dump the beans into the strainer and rinse them to get off extra salt and preservatives, which may also help them be less gas producing.

In this picture is one of my optional ingredients (shredded zucchini).

Then add the beans.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever you have in the kitchen! If you need to feed more people, it’s easy to throw in a few extra ingredients and make a bigger batch.

Here’s a list of optional ingredients you can throw in:

1. Shredded zucchini (as you see above, yellow squash can work as well), 1-2 cups
2. Diced or blended tomatoes, canned or home bottled, 1 pint
3. More canned beans: black, pinto or kidney, a can (about 2 cups)
4. Refried beans, 1-2 cups
5. Water, 1-2 cups for a soupier chili (but don’t add extra water if you like it chunky)

The tomatoes and zucchini really don’t change the texture too much, but the refried beans make it much smoother. The taste was still good, although that could depend on the kind used. It’s just personal preference.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

We usually eat it with cornbread or plain corn chips.  It’s a huge winner in my home and around town.

Here’s the recipe:

Chili and Then Some

• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or chopped with onion in chopper)
• 1 TB Italian seasoning
• 2 TB chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin (don’t leave this out, it’s awesome!)
• 1 tsp powdered yellow mustard
• 2-3 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
• Optional add ins: zucchini, canned or fresh diced tomatoes, extra beans, or water
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 – 1 tsp Real Garlic Salt (or salt & pepper to taste)

Heat oil in a pot and saute onions and peppers. Add remaining ingredients, except beans and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring periodically. Add beans and simmer 10-20 minutes more. Serves 8.

I put Real Garlic Salt on everything. I buy it in bulk, 6 shakers at a time ($4 each instead of $6-7 at the store).

Enjoy!

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.

If you’re just starting, and want to be economical, you may want to pick up a juicer at a yard sale or on Ebay.

I start with carrots from Costco. They’re organic, and they’re cheap. Carrots are loaded with organic minerals and vitamins. They are hard to beat for cleansing and nourishing the body all around.

At the end of the summer, if I’m lucky (and if I’ve sown some seeds a few months before), I sometimes have some carrots from our own garden. These are also organic and cheap. They just take a little more cleaning, which is a great activity for kids.

This year we planted a rainbow variety.

I get out some apples. I even had a couple dozen apples on my own trees this year. Here’s hoping they keep coming.

Then I get out my beets. Beets are sweet, as long as you don’t overdo them. I don’t eat them cooked very often, but I love them in juice! They are cleansing and high in antioxidants. I look for them at the farmer’s market, they’re much cheaper than the store, or I get them from my garden.

Celery is a powerhouse of natural minerals. It is high in organic silica, which helps the body uptake calcium. I haven’t tried growing it yet.

Here’s what my garden looked like this past summer.

Next, I always add greens. My favorites are beet greens, chard, and kale. These are the dark green powerhouses of nutrition. If I don’t have them I use spinach. Spinach is a good one to start with because the taste is so mild. These are all terrific to blend into fruit drinks, too. I try to make fruit smoothies on a daily basis when I don’t have fresh juice.

I use green bags to keep them fresh. They work excellently, but there MUST be a paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture, and keep the greens from drying out.

When everything is washed and ready we start running it all through the juicer.

It’s wonderful to have helpers.

Even the littlest want to be involved.

Too cute!

We feed the pulp to the chickens. I used to compost it, or make carrot cake with it.

Juice gets lots of foam.

We use a fine mesh strainer to strain it off.

Stir to get all the little bits of pulp out and the juice though.

If we’re going to put forth the effort, we may as well make 2-3 quarts for our family. That way it will last for more than 1 day. After straining, I mix them all together, so we don’t have more of one thing in one jar than the others.

Now we take the juicer apart,

brush out the strainer,

and give the rest a quick rinse.

Finished product.

And it’s gone in 5 seconds flat.

It makes your blood happy.

You should try it sometime.

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

Makes 24 muffins and a medium loaf.

5 C white wheat flour (hard white or whole wheat pastry works great)
3 C sugar (I use evaporated cane juice, which is a whole food)
1 TB baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder (no aluminum)
2 ½ TB pumpkin pie spice
¾ tsp salt
6 eggs
3 C pumpkin (a large can or home cooked & pureed)
2 cubes butter, melted
½ C applesauce
9 oz chocolate Chips
2 C walnuts, chopped (Optional)

Mix dry ingredients. Mix eggs, pumpkin, butter and applesauce. Combine all. Fold in chips and nuts. Pour into greased pans or muffin papers. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. They may seem a bit undercooked when they come out of the oven. The bread needs to stay in for 40-45 min (it depends on how much batter you have left from the muffins).

Some in stones, and some in tins with paper cups

I love my stoneware! I buy it from my sis. (Pampered Chef)

I am a nut crazed lunatic, especially for walnuts in pumpkin bread. My honey doesn’t care for them as much as I do.   This time I decided to make it obvious where I was putting the nuts.

Oh my . . . oh my . . . oh my goodness. It’s as tasty as it looks.