News

So, I have some news, but before I get to that, let's recap what changes have occurred in our diets. 

• No Coke products, and since I am a diehard "Coke or nothing" kind of gal, that means no soda
• Grass fed animal products only, and they must be humanely raised.  Since I have grown Cornish X for meat birds and saw what their overbreeding has accomplished, no Cornish X chicken meat as well.
• Second hand clothes, homemade or repairs only.
• Conscious thought about what we eat and where it came from and where it is going.
• Fast food free since the admonition about factory farmed meats
• GMO free only, so no high fructose corn syrup, no commercial soy, no sugar unless specified cane derived.  Organic corn, soy, and potentially wheat only.
• Growing our own crops this year, with an emphasis on square foot gardening.  First radishes of the season consumed with gusto recently!
• Raising our own meat birds, in this case Cornish Roasters and Dark Cornish Roosters. 
• No caffeine, except an occasional tea.
• Raising our own eggs or buying them locally.
• Buying our milk locally and making as much cheese, yogurt, etc. from that as possible.
• Chickens now fed only organic feed in an effort to forestall the GMOs and to be sure they are not being fed other animals, including other chickens
• Moving toward an organic/local only vegetable buying program.  Currently, we are almost there, but not quite.
• Given all the above, 99.9% of our food is homemade, because otherwise it would be impossible to afford it, be sure of where it came from and how organic it really is.

  Please be aware that all these things have not happened overnight.  Some were already started, just needed an acknowledgment that we were committed to doing it.  Others were just a choice that came easily.  When you make a resolution that you will live your ethics and morals, it can have some pretty far reaching consequences.
  Now for the big news.  Last year, my doctor tested me for cholesterol, A1C (your blood sugars over time more or less averaged), and my kidneys.  My A1C was 6.4, which he did not tell me.  I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he did tell me that I was pre-diabetic.  When I saw my new doctor recently, he said that those numbers were not pre-diabetic, that he would have put me on meds immediately.  My old doctor wanted to wait a bit to see how my sugars fared.  In the meantime, he went out of practice and hence the new doctor.
  Here is a quick review of what my life has held in the last year.  Roughly a year ago, my kids and I were preparing for a karate tournament in Indianapolis at the end of June.  Went there, came home and mid July I had shingles.  That was not a fun experience and my doctor told me that it was because of stress.  Over the last year I have reduced my stress immensely.  The prior winter saw us all sick over and over again.  Lazar had strep throat what seemed almost constantly.  In November last year we had pneumonia, but bounced back fairly quickly, however my dad struggled for months to beat that infection.  In March he was given pneumonia free diagnosis from his pulmonologist.  The kids and I did not get ill again all winter, except for sniffles.  A HUGE improvement.
  Our diet has significantly changed.  We eat, as I said before, no fast food, hardly any prepared foods, and mostly whole foods.  My A1C as of two weeks ago was normal, as were my kidneys and my cholesterol. No meds, no special diet, just continue your good work.  And, I lost 20 lbs.  I am NOT eating carb free, fat free, cholesterol free or any other restrictive diet.  I am eating sensibly.  We had alfredo pasta a couple of days ago, I eat cheese, I eat butter, and I use salt.  BUT... it is in moderation.  I eat kale, salads, raw veggies, fruits, and veggies with every meal.  I feel better.  And, I am most emphatically not a diabetic.  Score one big one for my resolution.
Any questions?

Slow Cooker Yogurt, Papaya Frozen Yogurt and Beans

Many times when I find a recipe, it goes in one eye, floats around my brain for a bit and either gets made or dumped in the next sleep cycle.  The following are recipes that we will be reusing extensively! 

  Recently, we found a source for fresh milk.  We picked up a few gallons of milk and were nearing the end of that batch of milk, so I was looking for a recipe that would use up a gallon of milk, quickly and easily.  I had planned to make cheese, but that did not happen.  So... I found this recipe online and skipped the last bit about making Greek Yogurt, but certainly it could have been done.  I used Stonyfield plain non-fat yogurt for my starter.  As long as you use a live culture and unsweetened yogurt, it should work.  Here is the link, then I'll detail what we did differently.

http://groceryshrink.com/2011/09/slow-cooker-greek-yogurt.html

  When we checked the slow cooker after wrapping in towels about three hours later, we found the yogurt had "clotted",  and the cooker was cool.  So, we called it a wrap.  I wasn't interested in making Greek Yogurt, but I did make some Neuchatel or Yogurt Cheese.  I took a colander, lined it with a clean dish towel, poured about half of the yogurt in, folded the towel over and placed a canning jar filled with water and sealed on top to act as a weight.  This helps remove more of the whey.  The rest of the yogurt went into the fridge for a plethora of thing we use it in, like mashed potatoes, a substitute for sour cream in dips, snacks of yogurt and fruit, and as you see later in ice cream or more accurately, frozen yogurt. 
  We used the whey to lacto-ferment beans that I make in large batches for later use from freezing.  I followed "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon's recipe for beans.  You let them soak overnight with plenty of warm water and two tablespoons of whey.  This begins the digestive process and they cook very quickly.  Also, it makes it easier to digest and the nutrients more available, according to Ms. Fallon.  I do find them quicker cooking and very tender.  So, a resounding, "YES!" can be heard for all that whey.  Any whey we cannot use will be gifted to the chickens whom I am told will be most appreciative.

  Yesterday, we were looking for something to do with some mangoes and papayas we had on hand.  The mangoes ended up being bad on the inside, a huge bummer because mangoes are my daughter's favorite and mine as well.  However the papayas were fine.  So, I went hunting for a recipe.  Found this one online, but of course I had to monkey with it...

http://www.food.com/recipe/mango-ice-cream-31725

  First of all, no mango and no eggs.  At the very bottom is a note about using papaya instead.  The recipe called for a pound of papaya, but I just did up what we had on hand.  It says to juice one lime, add a cup of sugar to papaya to be pureed.  I stuck everything in my food processor, and let it rip.  When puree is reached, it says to mix in a cup of cream.  But, since I had already messed with the recipe by adding more papaya (I guess, since I never weighed it), I added a cup of yogurt.  Tasted it, seemed a little light on the milk aspect more like sorbet.  So, I added another cup of yogurt and then a 1/2 cup more.  Tasted it each time and finally was satisfied.  Can't imagine how sweet it would have been with the right amount of papaya and cream!  The tartness of the yogurt and the lime balanced it perfectly.  I put it in my ice cream attachment to the Kitchenaid and let it rip until it started to click.  Well, it was supposed to get to that point, but my son became impatient and we froze it.  Just had some this noontime.  Scrumptious does not even begin to describe this delectable delight.  If you don't have an ice cream maker, I strongly suggest you find one.  I bought this a couple of years ago and the benefits have been huge.  I can control the sugar, use other sweeteners, or opt to use only the fruit for sweetening.  All good, but the best part is making up combinations and concoctions of your own.  Some might be weird, but most of them will be yummy! 

  Last note, I promised the bean recipe which is really a prep and very simple.  Any suggestions for recipes you might have seen me mention in passing  about which you would like more info.
  Next time I hope to post our mozzarella and ricotta results.  Many blessings to you all.  And, happy wedding day to my niece!

A few weeks ago I posted about this on Facebook.  I have *finally* managed the time to set it down via keyboard.  Ladies and Gentlefolk of various genders, here is.... Easy Beef Enchiladas.  This makes a large batch, so feel free to make it smaller, or freezing the leftovers or just eat it for a week like we sometimes do. 

Easy Beef Enchiladas

• Spicy Beef

  Take a beef roast that you would use for pot roast, i.e. any old cheap cut of meat that has connective tissue sinew, that sort of thing.  Place said roast in your crock pot.  Now, this is the really complicated part, take a bottle of hot sauce and shake it over the roast, just covering it.  You may be thinking right about now, "But, what kind of hot sauce????  There is your standard Texas Pete's, Red Hot, and even Hannaford, not to mention the habanero and more exotic sorts!!!  Tell us what to do!"  Here is my advice, we found the generic versions (store brands) to be bland and not very good.  Our favorite was made with good old Red Hot.  We have even tried Sriracha.  If you like your meat somewhat more, um, authoritative and spicy, use some of the others.  I caution you, that once added it can't be removed.  Set slow cooker on low and let it cook for 8 hours or so.  If it is not pull apart tender, where you can shred with a couple of forks, cook another couple of hours and recheck.  When it is tender, shred with two forks by pulling in opposite directions.  With a slotted spoon, remove meat from juice.  Reserve juice for another day's cooking.  I used it to flavor black beans I cooked the next day...

  I use this for tacos, burritos and sometimes just as is with potatoes.  Yummy!

•  2 cups each shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese
• Tortillas, either corn or wheat

   A note about tortillas...  I have used just about any tortilla available.  For those who know me, you know my family love food exploring.  So we have spinach, dried tomato, herb, white, wheat and those are just the flour tortillas!  The best one I ever made was done with some stale tortillas that the bag had been left open and they were a bit dry.  When you add the tortillas, you tear them into pieces.  Now don't obsess about them being perfectly the same size.  Let them fall size wise where they may.  In a 9X13 pan, I use about 6-8 flour tortillas or 10-12 corn tortillas per level.  You can use more or less depending on how "bready" you want it to be.  Just make sure you make the layer as solid as possible to prevent mixing.

• Enchilada Sauce

  Ah, Enchilada Sauce... Red or Green, red or green, which is better?  We love them both.  The last batch was done with green.  I used a pre-made brand called Hatch that I get from my local co-op.  The cans were about the size of a vegetable can and I used two.  The flavors are excellent.  I also used this recipe that includes cocoa.  It was extremely addictive and absolutely scrumptious!  http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-enchilada-sauce-109685

• Now for the big finish....

  Take your pan, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom, then place torn tortillas on top.  Next, add about 2-3 cups of the spicy shredded beef, sprinkle 2/3 of the cheese over the beef, top with more torn tortillas.  Pour remaining sauce over this and top with remaining cheese.  Cook for an hour at 350 or until hot and bubbly. 

  That is how I did it.  I serve it lasagne style, with shredded lettuce, slice black olives, sliced green onions or diced regular onions, and yogurt.  Enjoy!