Simple Soaked Oatmeal

Columbia River in October

 Greetings from the southern Oregon coast! We are currently enjoying some much-needed time with our granddaughter, Maddie, and are getting ready to celebrate her second birthday.

From here, we will be home for a couple of days, before leaving for parts unknown.

Otherwise known as hunting season.

This is when men wander aimlessly through forests, rifle in hand, smelling like they rolled in cat litter and expecting to bag the biggest buck. This year, our 4 youngest children and I are going.

We're there to keep it real. 'Cause that's how we roll.

And I always had a thing for Elmer Fudd.

Because of our life on the road this week, there will be no meal plan. We will be "winging it". This method doesn't work very well, but I need to make sure that everyone has enough underwear and socks.

Yep, the only thing I need is the dutch oven. And some taters. Maybe some eggs. And ketchup. Milk would be good. Probably some cheese...hmmm...I guess there should be a meal plan after all. I'll have to think on this one a little longer though...

In the meantime, one thing that will be a certainty is oatmeal. During the colder months, we have oatmeal quite often. In fact, we purchase 50 lbs. of organic rolled oats at a time. The biggest complaint I've heard about oatmeal is that is can cause "intestinal distress".

Otherwise known as gas.

Soaking oatmeal helps to pre-digest the oats, making it easier on the digestive system. I've tried it. It works. And it's delicious.

Did I mention that it's cheap too?

~Simple Soaked Oatmeal~ 

The Nourishing Traditions Way

2 cups organic, rolled oats (certified gluten-free)

2 cups lukewarm water

4 Tb. whole milk, plain yogurt

1 t. sea salt

2 cups cold water

flaxseeds, soaked/toasted almonds, dried fruit, fresh/frozen berries, cinnamon, butter, maple syrup

The night before, soak oats in 2 cups lukewarm water. Stir in yogurt.

Cover with a cloth and let sit on the counter overnight.

The next morning, bring 2 cups water to boil with sea salt. Add oat/yogurt mixture and stir well. Place a lid on the pot and turn burner down to simmer. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serve with real maple syrup, berries, butter, cinnamon and milk or cream. (Or nuts/fruit of your choice!)

Enjoy!

Blueberry Applesauce

Kids like colors. They like weird colors, in fact.

And they really like it when their food represents their weird color fetish.

This is how blue applesauce came to be. Some "genius" decided that since Blue's Clue's was such a popular show, they would market applesauce with Blue on the label, and color the sauce to match. Apparently, this idea made the applesauce company a lot of money, so they decided to make blue applesauce a permanent product.

I was going to pick some up in town today, but decided that that would be sending the company the wrong message. I didn't want my purchase to put their sales over the top, thus resulting in more money for them to create more blue applesauce.

That, and I forgot.  

Here's my problem with this. Blue dye #1. It has been linked to causing behavioral problems in children. I've seen this firsthand. My daughter, Valerie, used to throw wicked temper tantrums after being fed Skittles at preschool. I didn't know what it was at the time, but was contemplating an exorcism.

And I'm not even Catholic.

Another "treat" that Valerie enjoyed was blue-raspberry slushies. Hmmm....

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on t.v., but I was able to diagnose and treat her just by eliminating Skittles and slushies! Valerie is now a happily married nurse, who no longer requires her mother sitting on her while she thrashes about. 

Lucky for her. 

If a child is accustomed to eating blue, green, red, or purple food, it may be difficult to transition them to a healthier alternative. When we were doing foster care, we had a couple of boys who wouldn't eat anything that didn't come from a can or box. If I made a large pot of homemade chicken noodle soup, it would go untouched by them unless I could show them the can. So I got smart. I bought a large can of soup, dumped it into the chicken bucket, washed it out and hid it in the cupboard. Whenever I needed to show them a can, out it came. I eventually removed the label so I could use this can as "proof" with different kinds of soup. Funny enough, the boys ate my homemade soup.

And they liked it.

So, as a parent, we have to learn how to market our products. If a child wants strawberry milk, give them strawberry milk. With real strawberries. And if they want blue applesauce, give them blue applesauce.

Minus the blue dye #1.

~Blueberry Applesauce~

Wash, peel, quarter and core 10 apples. I used Jonagolds, but you can use any or several different kinds. (This is a good way to use up apples that may be past their prime too.)

As you quarter the apples, put them in a bowl of cold water that has 1-2 Tb. of lemon juice in it. This will prevent the apples from turning brown.

When you have your apples ready, put them in a large *stainless steel pot. Add 1/2 cup water to the apples. Turn the heat to medium. When the apples start to bubble, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Let cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove lid and add 1-2 cups frozen blueberries. The more blueberries you use, the bluer the sauce. Replace lid and turn off heat. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, process small batches until smooth. Be careful~it's very hot!

Don't ruin the goodness of this sauce by adding corn syrup or white sugar. If you need to sweeten it, use natural sweeteners, such as; real maple syrup, rapadura/sucanat, honey. (Remember not to use honey in kids younger than 1 year of age.)

My "blue" applesauce appears more pink in this picture, but that is not the applesauce's fault.

Blame the camerman...er....woman.

I freeze our applesauce in quart containers, but you could also water bath can them. For baby food, freeze in ice cube trays.

*If you use an enamel coated pot to cook the apples in, watch the heat closely. The apples tend to burn to the bottom of the pot.

Or so I've heard...

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Time for a Change

There are some hats that I wear that are not enjoyable for me. For instance, I do not like to dig ditches. Crazy, I know, but there you have it. There are machines to do that.

And work-release criminals.

I also do not like to clean my sons' bathroom.

No explanation required.

Other jobs I dislike are; cleaning out my car, dusting my bedroom and washing the screens on the windows. Not terrible jobs, just tedious ones.

But, my least favorite job is grocery shopping. I cannot tell you how much I despise going to the grocery stores.

It makes me sad to see people pay for their over-processed, nutrition-empty groceries with government aid, then pay cash for gallons of pre-made blue Kool-aid, Doritos, and cigarettes. It breaks my heart to see a grocery cart being pushed by an extremely obese person, on oxygen, who has Pepsi and Top Ramen in the cart.

 Next to the blue applesauce.

I want to shout at the top of my lungs...

YOU ARE MAKING YOURSELVES SICK WITH THIS GARBAGE!!! APPLESAUCE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BLUE!!!! GET A CLUE!!!!

Then...

THAT WAS A CLUE!!!!

Do I know what I'm doing? Nope. I'm packing around 40 extra pounds of bad choices. Life's a dance, you learn as you go...and that's the difference between me and them. I'm learning. I'm not there yet, but am receptive to change. Call it my need to know trait. Call it wisdom. Or call it like it is~I don't want to spend my life doing things halfway and only being halfway healthy. I'm not likely to start training for a marathon or switch to a "liquids only" diet. I don't want to live forever. I just want to enjoy living while I'm here. I cannot be effective if I am sitting on my couch, eating blue applesauce and complaining about the health care system. I want to take charge of my body and say, I don't need the healthcare system. (Although, that would put my Mister out of work~wait a minute, maybe I should think on this a little more...)

Save it for somebody who doesn't want to dance.

So, change has come. My blog, which started out being a place to share our family journey is going to evolve into more. I am going to go "Back to Basics". I'll share simplicity in the kitchen, without compromising nutrition, health, or humor. I will still be sharing our farm and homeschool life, because that is a huge part of who I am, but feel like God is leading me down a different path. One of healing and restoration. And if this little blog of mine only convinces one person to put back the blue applesauce and make their own, then I will feel like I made a change toward something better.

Let me know if there are things you'd like to see covered!

Project Turkey Yard

 If you've followed my blog for very long, you'll have noticed a trend with my Mister and I.

We are very project oriented.

The problem with this "illness" is that there are so many great ideas floating around in our heads, we are consistently in the process of starting a new project. Even before the last one is finished. 

Blame it on our ages. We forget a lot. 

Today, we finally finished Operation Turkey Yard. Well, mostly. We still need to put the "roof" on, but for now, just having a safe place for the turkeys to play is enough. 



Lucy's first breath of fresh air! I hope she doesn't notice the chickens on the other side of the fence!



Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, Fred and Thomasina~we thought she was a he, so Thomas-Destined-For-The-Table, became Lucky Thomasina!

Oops.



Lucy and Ricky getting ready to perform a waltz. Good form. I give it a 9~always room for improvement.



We bought the hardware for the gate which the Mister put together, and I screwed up the boards. These will be cut down when we put the roof on. The board in the center is the "peak" of the roof. I felt the need to "explain" this so you don't think we're a bunch of half-wits and are moving on to yet another project!

 Now that the turkey yard is built and the waltzing has begun, it's time to "set the mood" for the couples.

I guess that would be considered a new project.

I may just sit this one out.



MPM 10/4/10

When I plan our meals out for the week, I ALWAYS check with the weatherman to make sure that my meals are acceptable to him. I mean, after all, if he doesn't like my plans, he changes his.

The weather, I mean.

Which is exactly what he did last week.

I think the chowder offended him.

My plans last week consisted of several soups. Not only was I planning on soups for dinner, but was counting on them for lunches too. While I was planning, it was raining. It was gloomy. It was chilly. This is Washington. Rainy weather was a sure bet.

What we got instead was heat. And sunshine. Not that I'm complaining, but I am a planner. I need to know things. And somebody forgot to send me the memo that my plans needed changing.

Instead of soups, we enjoyed a chicken satay salad, and a black bean/corn salad. We still enjoyed an awesome chili, but I served it after 8 p.m...with the windows wide open!

This week, I am only planning for a partial week. We are heading to the southern Oregon coast to celebrate our granddaughter's second birthday! Weather cooperating, we are also hoping to catch a few crabs in the bay, and reel in a few small-mouth bass at a local lake. I'm hoping for seafood, but will have some nitrite-free hot dogs on stand-by, just in case!

Here's what's cooking...

~Breakfasts~

Scrambled eggs and elk sausage

Spelt-cakes

Egg/sausage/cheese "McMuffins"

Peach Kuchen

~Lunches~

leftover Cheeseburger soup, sourdough bread

Egg salad sandwiches on sourdough, sliced apples

Corndog muffins, Plum smoothies

Toasted cheese on sourdough, sliced apples

~Dinners~

Chicken & bean enchiladas, tortilla chips, guacamole

Thai Cashew Chicken, egg rolls (these were made by a co-worker of my Mister!)

Salmon en Papillote w/ veggies (mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, onions and spinach)

Hawaiian omlettes (ham, Swiss cheese, pineapple), hashbrowns

For more meal planning ideas, visit The Organized Junkie for Menu Plan Mondays!

My Distractions and a Giveaway!

So, in all of my busyness of daily life, a certain milestone has come and gone. Last week was my one year blogiversary. I new it was coming and had planned some new things for it, but then things started to happen.

I got distracted.

It happens.

I know. It surprises me too.

Lately, I have been obsessed with something big. Bigger than a blogiversary.

Bigger than Wynken, Blynken and Nod making a bed out of the goat feeder.

My obsession doesn't allow me to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like the "kids" frolicing...

...or the "awwww..." moments of Nod tasting his first dried leaf.



As I've continued to spiral into my distracted madness, I've barely noticed that it's autumn and the leaves are changing.

Just barely.

Seriously.

 I'm having a difficult time finding the joy in a job well done.

Like this lap quilt that took me 2 years to make.

Nope. My daily thoughts, actions, dreams and yes, nightmares are consumed with...

Darn you Pioneer Woman.

The only way to beat this madness is to meet it head-on.

And I might as well have a positive attitude about it.

At least until one of these babies attaches itself to my thigh.

My friend, Heather at Mountain Home Quilts is having a giveaway. Head on over to her blog and sign up to win some adorable Halloween fabric from Thimbleberries!

Zucchini, Tomato & Corn Casserole

I wish I could come up with a better name for this casserole as it deserves only the very best. And this is coming from a girl who is not really a fan of zucchini. How about "The End of Summer Casserole"?

Sometimes, I can be persuaded to eat the summer squash and not think about my tortuous childhood. I spent HOURS sitting at the table, after everyone else was finished, dishes were done and "Happy Days" was on the television before my dad would take pity on me and snatch the wretched veggie away from me.

Of course, my mom didn't know.

So why would I make anything that has zucchini in it? Or for that matter, grow it?

Because this is good.

Good enough to make me forget how much I dislike zucchini. (Besides, the zucchini plant is indestructible and makes me look like I know what I'm doing in the garden!)

~The Players~

1 lb. zucchini, unpeeled and chopped

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups sweet corn

1 cup tomatoes, chopped 

 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 t. sea salt

1/4 t. pepper

paprika

Butter a 9x13" dish.

Mix corn, 3/4 cup cheese, eggs, onion, garlic, salt & pepper. Set aside.

Steam zucchini until tender. Add zucchini to the corn mixture.

Gently stir in the tomatoes. Pour mixture into buttered dish. Top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a 350F. preheated oven for 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

You may have noticed, because you are smart and nothing gets by you, that there are no tomatoes in this dish. That's because I got side-tracked.

I'll share that tomorrow!

Enjoy!