More on Almonds

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Last year I posted notice that the government had once again overstepped their bounds and in cohorts with the CA Almond Board made a ruling that almonds must be pasteurized. This does not need to be noted on the label AND the label can still state "raw" almonds.

  • "The new rules do not require the disclosure that in fact these almonds have been pasteurized by either high heat, a nerve gas-like agent, or radiation." – http://organicpastures.com/
  • "a requirement that raw almonds be treated with propylene oxide (a toxic fumigant recognized as a carcinogen by the EPA) or steam-heated before they can be sold to American consumers." – http://www.cornucopia.org/

This of course did not make people happy – growers/ small handlers nor those that know the importance of raw food sources for health, conscientious consumers.

At the time I learned of this ridiculous, controlling law I passed on to you some sources for obtaining truly raw almonds, unpastuerized, direct from the grower. Now I’m hearing that even the grower cannot not ship directly to the consumer, who has knowingly and intelligently chosen to buy unpastuerized almonds, but that they only way they can sell them is directly on location.

I’m checking into this, to see if we can still purchase unpastuerized almonds. http://organicpastures.com & http://www.realrawfood.com/wholesale-raw-nuts.htm#almonds still have them on their site – which appears to be good news. dansranch.com still offers them if you can pick them up at the ranch.

For Life and Health –
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Raw Cashew Milk – Friday Food

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fridayfood2.jpgThis week we tried a new not-milk. I’d heard that Cashew Milk is good, and realized that in all our experiments we hadn’t tried it yet. So we did. And it was.

Here’s the SIMPLE recipe we used.

Raw Cashew Milk

Soak 3/4 c. raw cashews in plenty of water to cover for 4-6 hours (or overnight). Put into filter cup of SoyaJoy Milk Maker, and attach cup to motor head.

Add pure water to the fill line in the SoyaJoy (aprox. 6 cups) and place motor on it and plug in.

Do NOT hit Start. Push the MOTOR button FOUR times, (listen for the beep 4 times) THEN push Start. (We do not want the machine to go through the Heat cycle, as we want raw not-milk.)

The machine will go through a few grind and rest cycles for just a few minutes, and then your Raw Cashew Milk will be done! Strain, if you like, and Chill. See other ideas for “additions” to your not-milks here.

You can also make not-milks in your blender, see more info here.

Here’s what we found. Cashews, make a nice creamy not-milk. It has a slight nutty taste, more so than almond, but still mild. Being a soft nut, cashews break down more so than other nuts and grains, so there was very little “sediment” in our strainer. But more in our not-milk container after sitting a while.

I didn’t add anything to this batch, as we were mainly pouring it over Sweet Rice – and I  made a cup of not-coffee cappacino with it. (Recipe another day. If I don’t get this posted NOW, it won’t be Friday.)  🙂

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Today’s Menu

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TodaysMenu

Real Life Good for You-Naturally! Menu Planning

Today’s Menu*

Breakfast:

  • Fresh Raw Apple Pear Juice
  •     (later in the morning)
  • Sweet Rice (short brown rice with not-milk, honey, cinnamon, and raisins)

Lunch:

  • Fresh Veggie Tray (broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, carrots, homegrown cherry tomatoes) with homemade Ranch Dip
  • Homemade Mini Pizzas (whole wheat crust, homemade sauce, mushrooms, black olives, onions, and cheese substitute)

Supper:

  • Country Veggie Pot Pie (potatoes and other mixed fresh veggies in a white sauce)
  •     with Biscuits (as topping for Pot Pie, and also on the side with butter)
  • Lettuce & Veggies Salad

Read more about a Good for You-Naturally! lifestyle of eating!

(*This may not be exactly “today’s” menu. I write these posts ahead based on our menu plans, which may end up being served on a different day.)

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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For the Birds

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5 new birds have come into our home this weekend! It’s not as bad as it sounds. We weren’t invaded by wild birds. Nor by a ton of pets to care for.

The first is a cockatiel. A guy we know was getting rid of it, so we got cage, food, everything – for FREE! Just had to do it. He is a very gentle bird, hand fed since a baby, so very tame and great with the kids. They are having a lot of fun playing with him.

cockatiel.jpg

The other 4 birds, don’t require any care – not anymore anyhow. The boys went turkey hunting and brought home 4 on their first day out. So they did require a bit of care when they got home, but I didn’t have to do it. They are now are nicely waiting in my fridge for a few nice meals.  When I will have to do their final “care” – most likely in the crock pot.

firstturkeys08.jpg

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Easy Rice Pilaf – Friday Food

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fridayfood2.jpgTime for a main dish recipe. The key to most of our main dish meals is simplicity. In our large, busy family I want 4 things from our meals. They need to be Good for You -Naturally!™, inexpensive, simple, and taste great. We have some great “company” and “special occasion” menus too, but for everyday fare, simple is key.

Brown rice is a staple, that is served at least once a week at our house. We enjoy it in many different ways. Today I’ll share with you a simple Rice Pilaf. Since we add steamed veggies to it, all we need to round out our meal is our large foundational fresh veggie salad.

Lisa’s Easy Rice Pilaf

  • 3 c. dry long grain brown rice (you can substitute 1/2 c. wild rice for 1/2 c. of the brown)
  • 1 – 1 1/2 c. chopped celery, peas, and/or diced carrots (any combo you choose)
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/4 – 1/2 c. chopped mushrooms (optional)
  • 1/2 – 3/4 c. chopped raw almonds (optional)
  • 1 – 2 Tbl. dried parsley
  • 1 – 2 Tbl. vegetable broth powder

Pure Water (proper amount depends on the method of cooking – if your appliance recommends different amounts, use them)

  • 6 c. water for cooking in Rice Cooker or on stove or in oven (9×13 pan @ 375°)
  • 3.5 c. water for cooking in rice steamer
  • 4.5 c. water for cooking in pressure cooker – if using pressure cooker, steam peas/carrots separately then add them after the rice has cooked.

Mix all ingredients together (except peas and/or carrots if you are steaming them separately). Follow cooking directions for your appliance.

Cooking time – approx. 1 hour in rice cooker, stove, or steamer. about 18-20 minutes in pressure cooker.

Makes – enough for our family of 8.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Creamy Coleslaw – Friday Food

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fridayfood2.jpgThis week I’m sharing with you a great, inexpensive Good for You-Naturally! salad to use your homemade mayo in. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable. “Say what?” you ask. Cruciferous. Those super veggies that are so good for us. They include: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,  radish, kohlrabi, turnips, collard greens, kale, mustard, rutabaga, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Brussels sprouts,  Arugula, horse radish, wasabi, and watercress. Whew! And we should eat several servings of them every week, for their potent anti-cancer properties, as well as all the other great nutrients in them.

This is a yummy Coleslaw, not overly sweet or runny (like restaurant coleslaw). I’ve listed several optional ingredients. We usually include most of them, but if you don’t have them it will taste great anyhow.

Lisa’s Good for You-Naturally!™ Creamy Coleslaw

1 small head cabbage – coarsely chopped or thinly sliced
1 large carrot – grated
(Opt. 1 c.  red cabbage – coarsely chopped)
(Opt. 1/2 green pepper – chopped)
(Opt. 1/4 c. red onion – finely chopped)
(Opt. handful or so pecans or walnuts – chopped)

Use any or all of the above optionals. We nearly always put the nuts in – good nutrition. And usually add the green pepper, if we have it on hand. The other 2 are not always on hand, so more “sometimes” additions.) Mix with Coleslaw Dressing to make it Creamy.

Coleslaw Dressing

Homemade Mayo
thinned with not-milk to make pourable (pretty thin)
a bit of salt and pepper
(Opt. 1 t. liquid honey – you may need to warm it a bit to get it runny)
(Opt. 1 t. raw apple cider vinegar)
(Opt. a few sprinkles of poppy seeds)

I usually add all the dressing optionals, unless we’re really in a hurry. The amount of dressing you need will depend on how large your cabbage is. I usually start with 1 c. and adjust from there, sometimes needing more. So you may want to have more than one batch of mayo made up beforehand. If you make too much Dressing, it will save several days in the fridge for the next time you need it.

Enjoy!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Today’s Menu – Real Life Menu Planning

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TodaysMenuSome of you may like to see how Good for You-Naturally!™ Menu Planning looks in real life. Although I’m not going to promise to send a daily update for an extended period, I am going to post some of our menus of the day, in hopes that it may help you, especially if you are striving for a more Good for You-Naturally™ lifestyle of eating.

In our home the Fresh Raw Juice (and/or Raw Fruit) in the morning, and the large Raw Salad at Lunch and Supper are musts. Beyond that, the “other dishes” are optional. Our percentage of raw foods varies, but these are foundational to our meals. We are currently in a season when more cooked food has edged in, and our percentage of raw isn’t always as high as I’d like, so this may be helpful for those of you that are transitioning. But we still genereally eat small portions of the cooked, in comparison to the raw. (Well, until it comes to chicken and noodles – below)  🙂

Also, ingredients make all the difference. Most everything is made from scratch, with wholefood ingredients, organic whenever possible. No refined sugars, grains or fats, or additives. No, we aren’t perfect. But what we make in the home is generally the best we can do.

Today’s Menu

Breakfast:

  • Fresh Raw Apple Carrot Juice
  •     (later in the morning)
  • Bananas
  • Whole Wheat Pancakes with real butter and real maple syrup

Lunch:

  • Large Lettuce and Raw Veggie Salad
  • Whole Wheat Crackers
  • Almond Cheese slices

Snack:

  • Grapes
  • “Raw” Granola – dried on very low on the deydrator rather than baked (only I had this, kids were eating a few grapes)

Supper:

  • Homemade Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes (organic chicken, homemade whole wheat noodles, celery, onions, carrots)
  • Raw Veggie Tray – (large heap of veggies, instead of salad)

Evening Snack:

  • Fruit Leathers (organic, dried pureed fruit only)

I (and I’m sure my other readers) would love to see YOUR Good for You-Naturally!™ Menu Plan too. If you eat Good for You-Naturally!™ (whole foods diet) please share – Today’s Menu, or a favorite Menu, or even just a favorite meal or a new meal your family has enjoyed. I will be doing a Today’s Menu post occasionally, (perhaps regularly,) and would love your ongoing input. I will send on the Good for You-Naturally!™ submissions in the comments below. If you’d like to see what we consider Good for You-Naturally!™ click here.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Annnouncing – Our Latest Resource

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The Redeeming the Time Journal – Menu Planning forms have been re-released today!

rtt-menucover.jpgIf 5 p.m. brings stress to your life as you try to figure our what’s for dinner, Freedom & Simplicity™ in the Kitchen is for you! This easy to use resource will help you put together menu plans from the foods you enjoy, easily, saving you time, money and stress.

See more or order at either the Redeeming the Time page or the Good for You-Naturally!™ exclusives page on our website.

Or recieve a Complimentary Sampler by subscribing to our free monthly newsletter.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Non Cooking Fun

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Yesterday was a light lessons day, so a friend came over to "watch" me in the kitchen. It’s always more fun to work in the kitchen with someone else. On my list for the day was not-milk and granola. (My dd and I had made cinnamon rolls the night before. Mm-mmm. Great breakfast!)

I tried a bit different sweetener for the not-milk, using just a bit of raw honey and maple syrup. (I’m running low on dates.) Tastes great – judging by the children drinking glasses of it.

On an email list I’m on, a lady recommended making Cashew milk. I haven’t tried that one before, but I didn’t have any cashews to do it. So next time I buy cashews I plan to. I’ll let you know how it rates with our others we’ve taste tested.

The granola turned out great too. The kids were snitching it off the dehydrator as I put in on to dry, and throughout the drying, and again as I was taking it off the dehydrator. I’ll be sure to schedule its recipe for a future Friday Food post.

My friend also brought me a bowl of fresh tomatoes to add to the few from my garden, along with our jalapenos, to make some salsa. I got a large batch made yesterday, to go in the freezer. Well, whatever we don’t eat by this afternoon will go to the freezer in pints. Dh was pleased – although, "you could add more jalapenos." But he’d say that no matter how many I put in. But the flavor was good, and it’s hot enough, but not too hot for the children. I’ll be sure to throw an extra jalapeno in one of the jars for him.

I love it when food prep efforts are enjoyed and appreciated. It was a good day.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Homemade Mayo & Ranch – Friday Food

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fridayfood2.jpgTime to resurrect Friday Food. Now that fall is here I’m back in the mood for thinking of food prep. Summer is tough for me. Many times I don’t feel like eating, so I don’t feel like going near the kitchen or even thinking about food. But in the fall, my mind turns to crock pots, and soups, and homemade breads, and all the yummies we love to bake.

But since it’s still pretty warm out, AND since our meals have a nice, large fresh salad, at their foundation, I figure I’ll re-kick off this category with a favorite homemade Good for You-Naturally! dressing.

Lisa’s Ranch Valley Dressing

1 c. homemade mayo (recipe below – use full recipe)
1/4 c. almond-rice not-milk (or other milk/ buttermilk substitute)
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 – 2 t. dried parsley
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. unrefined salt (Real®, himalayan, celtic)
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. onion powder
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried basil
(adjust spices to taste)

Blend, shake or mix well. Refrigerate. Makes approx. 1 1/4 cups.

If you have a recipe that calls for the Ranch Dressing mix (the dry ingredients in a packet) eliminate the mayo, not-milk, and lemon juice, and add 3-4 T. of soy or rice milk powder (try Better than Milk brand.) If you want to make the dry mix ahead and later make the dressing, add the lemon juice, mayo and 1/4 c. pure water to this mix.

Lisa’s Homemade Mayo

1 egg
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/8 t. unrefined salt
1/2 t. dry mustard powder
(opt. dash white pepper)
1 c. extra virgin olive oil (may taste strong) or expeller pressed safflower or grape seed oil (Mayo is about the only recipe I’ve found that does not work well with coconut oil, a more solid oil. It can be done, but is different type recipe and not as successful, IMO.)

Put all ingredients except the oil in blender or food processor with 1/4 c. of the oil. Begin blending and slowly pour in the remaining oil in a steady stream. The mayonnaise will thicken quickly. Turn machine off.

If it curdles or doesn’t thicken, return 1/4 c. of the mayo to the blender with another egg and add the remaining mayo just as you did the oil, the first time. Refrigerate.

Makes approx. 1 cup
Keeps approx. 10 days refrigerated

Enjoy!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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