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Author Archives: Lisa @ Me & My House

Yogurt Making – Soy Update

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update from Making Yogurt

We’ve tried making the soy yogurt. It didn’t work. It did work. Here’s our limited experience so far.

Our first batch was from homemade soy milk. It never set up. I don’t know if that was strictly from being homemade. (I’ve heard that homemade doesn’t work, but also from others that it can – I don’t remember if they said you had to add SOME store bought in too though.) The other possibility is that all of my equipment wasn’t “sterile” enough. I thought I handled everything properly, but it was very busy in the kitchen that day with many of the children involved, so who knows.

This is one VERY IMPORTANT point. You don’t want to grow any other bacteria than your yogurt (acidophilus type) in your yogurt. Wash everything that will touch your milk/yogurt in hot water and rinse well, then pour boiling water over/in them all. Don’t put your finger in your milk/yogurt to test it.

The next time I made soy yogurt I tried store bought soy milk. It worked beautifully! I had read that soy yogurt doesn’t set up as firmly, so I added a bit of agar agar (1/2 tsp. powder to one quart of soy milk**). It set up very nicely. It has great flavor. And we are enjoying it in several different ways.

We’ve eaten it plain.

We’ve made Strawberry and Strawberry/Banana yogurt – about 3-4 large fresh or frozen strawberries (thaw the frozen ones), 1/2 – 1 tsp. honey, a couple drops of real vanilla flavor, (optional about 1/3 – 1/2 banana). Blend really well in a food processor. (This isn’t a large enough amount to blend in the blender.) Stir into 1 pint plain yogurt.

We’ve used it to make Ranch Dip, and in salad dressing. (Recipes another day, or in my Good for You – Naturally! Salads recipe book.)

We’ve used it as a sour cream substitute in Stroganoff.

It’s about time to make more. I am going to try with homemade milk again next time I try soy yogurt. But I may try goat milk yogurt first.

** agar agar needs to “dissolve” – so stir it into at least part of the soy milk about 10 min. before heating, for best results.

 

Want more help for yogurt making? Get our dirt-cheap Freedom & Simplicity™ Guide to Yogurt Making.

Daily Bread

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“Give us this day our daily bread”

What’s the best place to start for a family that is not ready to “go all the way” with nutrition? Well, I still believe the most important thing you can do is begin to increase your consumption of fresh, raw fruits and veggies. And continue to work at increasing that more and more.

But, one of the greatest changes you can make beyond that, that will make SO much difference, is making Daily Bread. Aside from expensive “health food” brands found only in the freezer of the health food store, and most likely drying out, and most certainly very expensive, you will not be able to find a good whole grain bread – and we Americans like our baked grain products.

I guess if you are blessed enough to live near a health food store that makes their own or buys “homemade” whole grain, Good for You – Naturally! type breads fresh locally, that might be an option too. But again, they will be expensive and you probably won’t be able to find ALL the bread products you want to use.

Making Daily Bread in the home is such a blessing for our families, for our health, for our finances, and for bringing this important aspect of life back into the home. Modern Maidservants make it SO easy and it takes very little time, AND they pay for themselves in a very short time.

You may be shocked to find out how fresh, wonderful, and delicious (in addition to how awesomely good for you) baked goods made with fresh ground flour are. It may also utterly surprise you how FAST and EASY it is to make homemade fresh 100% wholegrain bread. Your work can be over in 15-20 minutes after you enter your kitchen. And if you don’t have 15 minutes all at once you can even break that down into 2-3 5-10 minute sections. And even then you aren’t doing much work yourself. Your machines are! You simply measure, pour, shape the loaves, and prepare the pans.

Perhaps using a bread (baking) machine may be a bit faster for you, but it won’t turn out a wonderfully, perfect loaf near as fast – let alone up to 6 loaves. My quick and easy method can turn out 6 traditional loaves in about 1 and half hours. My bread (baking) machine turns out 1 funny shaped loaf, that may or may not be great in 4 hours. Of course, if you want to mill your whole grain flour and put it and our recommended Good for You – Naturally! ingredients in your bread (baking) machine, you are free to do that too. I just think this is a better way, and so much more versatile and cost effective!

But the greatest thing is these machines will pay for themselves in very little time. They are time savers, money savers, and health savers.

Watch for my complete workshop on Daily Bread to be available through online delivery soon!

Bread Recall

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I’m glad we’re back to making our own bread every time here. We’d gotten lazy and were buying it sometimes – a 100% Natural Stoneground Whole Wheat, of course. (Like it’s the real thing – yeah sure.)

Anyhow, I just came across this – containing the brand we’d bought at times. I’ve deleted out the 20-some other products listed, for the sake of space. Hmm, how I ever missed hearing about it at the time.

PRODUCT
A) Whole Wheat Bread; freshly baked bread packaged in poly-film plastic bags under the following labels:
….
c) EarthGrains 100% Natural Whole Wheat 100% Stone Ground Bakery Bread, Net Wt 24 oz, EarthGrains Baking Companies, Inc., UPC 0 50400 72746 5;
….
CODE
Best If Purchased By JUL 25 07 222 through AUG 7 07 222
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Recalling Firm: Sara Lee Food and Beverage, Downers Grove, IL, by e-mail on July 25, 2007 and by press release and telephone on July 26, 2007 followed by electronic notification.
Manufacturer: Sara Lee Bakery Group, Inc., Meridian, MS. Firm initiated recall is complete.
REASON
The bread products may contain metal fragments.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
286, 478 loaves
DISTRIBUTION
MS, AL, AK, MO, GA, TN, LA, and FL

The recall is "complete" but who knows how many loaves reached consumer’s stomachs. 286.5 thousand loaves is a lot of bread to affect a lot of people.

But what we don’t know won’t hurt us right? Yeah sure.

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Why Are They Called Chores?

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Activities? Tasks? Duties? How about Responsibilities? That’s the one I went with on our children’s "chore" charts. "Chores" sounds so — negative. No one wants to do "chores".

Actually the first definition doesn’t sound too bad –  "the regular or daily light work of a household or farm," (especially if you emphasize the "light".)

The second definition isn’t bad either, "a routine task or job". Kind of boring, but not necessarily negative.

But that third one gets us down, "a difficult or disagreeable task". No one wants to do something difficult or disagreeable. That’s what we think of when we hear "chores", the "disagreeable" part.

"Responsibilities" sounds a little better. At least it has the connotation of  good character; being responsible means trustworthy.

But whatever we call them we need to remember that God created us to work and to be responsible in and for our work. Perhaps I like "responsibilities" because work is a primary way that our character is shown and developed.

I think, the Puritans had the right idea. In fact it is a Biblical idea, that work is worship. How we work can be, and should be, an expression of our worship to God. Paul put it this way, "Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord." Col. 3:23

What We Eat

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People are a curious sort – not saying that is wrong at all! But who’d ever guess that anyone would want to know what we eat. 🙂

Here’s the answer.

We drink a glass of fresh, raw fruit juice in the morning – usually apple combined with something. Then a half hour or so later and throughout the rest of the morning as much fresh fruit as they’d like. If we’re running low on fresh fruit, they can eat no-additives-added dried fruit. (Sometimes we – or at least the children – may have a whole grain cereal or pancakes/bagels/muffins later.)

Lunch is generally a raw vegetable salad, with a handful of raw nuts (generally as many as they’d like). Sometimes we may have crackers, muffins, or bread, or even a light soup with this, especially in the winter. Or perhaps even homemade refrieds and tortillas with our salad and fresh raw salsa. Sometimes a fruit salad and then pancakes or waffles. (Can you tell it’s COLD here, and our amounts of cooked foods goes up when it is cold out?)

Afternoon eating is usually fresh vegetable sticks, or more fruit, perhaps with nut butter (especially if we didn’t have nuts at lunch). Maybe some nuts, seeds or dried fruit (dried bananas quite a bit this past week). I like to include a fresh vegetable juice in the afternoon, but I’m more faithful about it than my children are. Occasionally, we may have home made Good for You – Naturally!™ baked snacks, such as cookies.

Supper is usually a large raw vegetable salad, and then a cooked main dish and steamed vegetables. Our cooked main dishes are usually based on vegetables, pastas, whole grains, potatoes, or beans, and such. We eat pretty typical American foods – well, American Italian and Mexican mostly, but made with Good for You – Naturally!™ ingredients.

We may have an evening snack, depending on when we eat supper, and what we have. It may be fresh fruit – again, Good for You – Naturally!™ baked goods, or perhaps even soy ice cream occasionally.

I just keep the home filled with fresh fruits and veggies, dried fruits, raw nuts and seeds, and we can always find something to eat (if not always a typical "meal" to cook.)

Oatmeal Cookies

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Lisa’s Good for You – Naturally!™ Oatmeal Cookies

Mix:
3/4 c. extra-virgin/raw organic coconut oil (OR 1/4 c. oil AND 1/2 c. real butter, unsalted)

3/4 c. raw unprocessed honey
1 Tbl. blackstrap molasses
1 tsp. real vanilla flavor
Add: 1 beaten egg OR flax seed egg replacement (my eggs come from free-range chickens, of course 🙂

In a separate bowl (or mix together on top of the above, before mixing it IN with the above) – Mix:
3 c. rolled oats (I use organic, and thick cut makes a chewier cookie)
1 c. fresh whole wheat flour (fresh ground, preferably whole wheat pastry flour, but regular is fine too. I use a “white” wheat. You can use Spelt or Kamut instead if you avoid regular wheat.)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder (non-aluminum, like Rumford’s)
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all together.

Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup carob chips OR 1/2 cup raisins (you can soak the raisins first, if you want plumper raisins)

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

Want a low/no fat version? You could try applesauce instead of oil – but it’s been years since I’ve done this, so I don’t remember how they turned out 🙂

UPDATE – NOTE: If your flour is pretty dry/ you are in low humidity, you may need to add 1/4 c. pure water to keep your cookies from being crumbly.  Adjust to your situation and climate.

New Year’s Goals

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I know I’m a month early for such a title, but actually I’m talking about this year’s goals. And I could use some prayer support in this area over the next few weeks.

In reviewing some of the goals I wrote at the beginning of the year, I was reminded that one of them was to update and reformat our Good for You – Naturally!™ Exclusives recipe books. I completed my first goal of a 7 week blog series on Good for You – Naturally! but never got back to this one (the recipe books) when lesson planning and some Lifestyle Education through Discipleship™ resources took precedence.

This fall I’ve been able to turn my attention back to this project, hoping to at least get a start on it before the year ends. As is typical for me, the vision and project has grown – really just become more clear as to what I want to do/believe God would have me to do – and it will no doubt be a long term project. But I think it is one that will be a big blessing for many of you.

Many years ago (12-15) a grandfatherly man who had the stall next to me at Farmer’s Market, and was our egg man, exhorted me, "You’ve got to teach these younger women to cook.  They don’t know how to cook anymore. No one is teaching them." I was selling whole wheat breads and other baked goods, and Good for You – Naturally!™ mixes at the Farmer’s Market. He didn’t know that I had a heart to do just that. I was selling wheat grinders and bread mixers, but my demonstrations went beyond that to teaching whole foods nutrition. And I had written a couple of simple cookbooks – before widespread use of computers, that were typed, cut and pasted booklets.

The new Freedom & Simplicity™ in the Kitchen series of Good for You – Naturally!™ Exclusives will include several recipe and food preparation instruction books. Like my original cookbooks, these will be focused on a single area each. But the selection will be greatly expanded. I’d really like to give you comprehensive help in the kitchen from the time you get up to the time you go to bed.

These books will be great resources for whole foods cooking and living foods preparation for families. They will include simple, family fare that keeps the budget in mind. These are recipes, meals, and menu plans that will please the "spaghetti and tacos" crowd.   No focus on exotic or "weird" foods – though some may not be completely familiar to you if you are used to buying all prepackaged foods – just fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds (including whole grains and legumes).

I am working on gathering all my recipes together (again) and working out the steps. Much of how I prepare food is in my head, or scratched out loosely on cards. Preparation steps and sometimes even exact amounts need to be clarified so you can duplicate Good for You – Naturally!™ foods in your kitchen. But most of all I want to help you learn to create Good for You – Naturally!™ foods that your family will love. Food ingredient choices, preparation techniques, options and adjustments you can make to suit the recipe to your family – these are just a few of the things I will be sharing with you.

So whenever you think of or eat food and Father God brings me to your mind, beseech Him for me to grant grace, wisdom, and time to work on this project.

Thanks!

The Winner Is – Not Milk?

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I’ve had so many ideas to send on, but not enough time in the last week.

One thing the dc and I have done is some experiments with our non-milks. We conducted taste tests to decide our favorite homemade non-milk. The children enjoyed doing this (much better than if I had just made different kinds and served it to them.) This way they got to say which they didn’t like in a nice way. 🙂

[Update 2016: For an easier, quicker, super tasty and healthy homemade nut milk, click here, for Homemade Almond Milk. You may still enjoy reading below for the info.]

Soy remains low on our family’s list. Homemade soy milk is way better than store-bought, and it rated higher than others, but still is not as well liked. Barley wasn’t a winner either – very watery, even when mixed with others. But I didn’t keep trying with more barley to get a richer milk, because we didn’t care for it as much anyway.

Although rice milk is our favorite commercial milk, homemade rice milk is sticky. I figured out last year that not heating it really helped, but it was still kind of watery.

We also found that we like our nut and grain milks slightly sweeter than just straight nut or grain. The favorite sweetener is dates. Other sweeteners tend to impart their own taste, except rice syrup, which is so low on the sweetness that is takes a lot to really get things sweetened.

We tried not only straight milks, but many various combinations. We also wanted to make “raw” milk, so did not heat these at all (except the soy.)

So what’s the conclusion? Our all time favorite, winning hands down by all the children, and me too, is….

The winner is Almond Rice Milk! (with dates to sweeten it.) Almond by itself (with dates) was next. Almond milk is very rich and creamy – delicious! Adding the rice didn’t reduce this rich creaminess, but does help on the costs. So I’m glad they liked the mix better. Rice alone (with dates) and then soy (with dates) were next.

Here’s our recipe for the creamiest most wonderful not-milk. We use a SoyaJoy alternative milk maker. You can also use a blender and then strain.

1) Soak 1/2 cup raw almonds, in purified water to more than completely cover, for several hours or overnight. Drain. Add 1/2 cup raw brown rice (organic is best of course). Put these in the filter cup of the SoyaJoy, and attach to the motor head. (Just throw them in your blender if you are using that.)

2) Add purified water to the fill line in the reservoir, and put motor head on top of the water reservoir on the SoyaJoy, and plug in. (That’s about 6 cups, but you probably don’t want to put that much in your blender, if you’re using it instead. Try maybe 4 cups to blend it all up, then mix in a couple more cups when you put it in your storage container for the fridge.)

3) In the SoyaJoy you don’t want to just hit the “Start” button. Push the motor button 4 times (make sure it “beeps” each time). Then push Start. this will take it through the grind cycle only, 4 times, and not the heat cycle. You can repeat this if you want – allowing a few minutes for the motor to cool between each time – to get the most out of those almonds 🙂

4) Throw about 9-10 whole dates (without pits – organic, of course 🙂 ) into your blender with a few cups of the milk. Blend well. Let sit for about a half an hour, then give a quick whir to mix it up again. If any of the milk didn’t fit in your blender, add them together now. Yes, it does matter to let the dates sit in the milk, for the sweetness and flavor.

5) Strain, through a stainless steel fine mesh strainer, into your refrigerator container and chill. Mmm-Mmm. You can add a little pure vanilla flavor (real, not imitation) to milk that you will use for drinking or on cereals and such, but leave it plain for cooking with.

If you are using a blender to make the milk, go ahead and throw your dates in with your almonds, rice and water. Blend REALLY well. Then let sit 1/2 hour, then give a quick whir again.

You don’t have to strain this milk, but we prefer a smooth milk, so we do. Notice, it really is not any harder to do in the blender than in the SoyaJoy. So why the SoyaJoy – especially since I’m no longer using the heat feature?

  • 1) I have it, and it has the nice big stainless steel water reservoir.
  • 2) It does a better, faster job of grinding, automatically. I just set it and leave it. It shuts off on its own – in just a couple minutes. It goes through cycles of a few seconds blending, a few seconds resting, etc.  (But it really isn’t a long chore in the blender either. This is just more convenient. But that isn’t enough to make me go out and buy a SoyaJoy.)
  • 3) Most importantly, it is far easier to strain your milk when your almonds and rice “mush” are kept in the filter. From doing this in the blender, they will clog up your strainer or cheesecloth really fast, and it will be a slow, multi-try process to get it strained well. With the SoyaJoy, I am mainly straining out just a bit of fine nuts/grains that got through the filter and the chopped dates. I just dump it through into the pitcher. And I’m done!

This only takes a couple of minutes.

This is a wonderful not-milk that is cheaper, fresher and really Good for You – Naturally! compared to store-bought not-milks or milk!

We bought the SoyaJoy to help cut our costs from commercial rice milk, knowing it wouldn’t take long to pay for itself. The other reason we bought this is for the nutritional benefits of the fresh, raw not-milk. If you use not-miks or are considering eliminating milk from your diet, you might want to take a look at it. But even if you aren’t ready for that, at least give Almond Rice Milk a try in your blender.

P.S. Our new Simply Beverages Not-Cookbook, from our Good for You – Naturally! Exclusives – Freedom & Simplicity™ in the Kitchen series, is near completion! It will have more information and alternatives on Not-Milks, as well as Fresh Juices, Smoothies/Shakes, Herb Teas and Coffees, and More.

WhooHoo Take a Look

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Our Good for You – Naturally! Resources & Recommendations has been completely re-vamped. But you all know that doesn’t mean it is done. I’m always adding resources we love and think you will too.

Take a look at our:

New Links – make ordering even easier! More shopping cart buttons to be added.

New Pictures – a picture paints a thousand words, or at least gives you a visual idea of what you’ll be getting.

Expanded & Updated Descriptions – making your choices more informed and easier to make

More Resources and Recommendations

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Announcing even more Good for You – Naturally! Resources and Recommendations ordering links for your convenience.

We are now partnering with Amazon.com to make ordering our Resources and Recommendation even easier.

We haven’t changed our recommendations to meet what they carry. (Just like we’ve never recommended a product before, just because we could sell it to you.) We’ve just added direct order links to a source that consistently provides good prices for the things we already recommend.

I am working at adding direct links for the products we already have listed, as well as working at getting our never-complete-list of recommendations posted.

As well as deciding what I want to try next in my own kitchen.

Check our Resource and Recommendations pages or enter a product in the search boxes here or on those pages.

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