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Jones Waffles
(You can use any grain, including wheat—but I use it as a delicious variety away from wheat.) I can make this whole breakfast in 20 minutes flat—not bad for the end-result of these succulent waffles that leave you feeling awesome afterwards.
The night before, soak in medium bowl:
*2 c. mixed grains
This is what I usually use for my mixed grain combination:
¾ c. short grain rice
½ c. buckwheat
¼ c. quinoa
¼ c. millet
¼ c. steel-cut oats
2 T. flax seeds
2 ½ c. water
¼ c. dates (or 5-6 bigger dates)
In the morning, blend well, until no grittiness can be felt in batter.
Then add and blend until mixed through:
2 eggs
¼ c. oil (extra light olive oil works good)
1 tsp. Salt
Add and pulse 3 times to mix thru:
1 T. baking powder
The baking powder will rise the batter a little ways in a blender jar.
Bake in waffle irons 3 minutes or until crisp, and serve with yummy syrup. (You can make any flavor syrup by boiling 1 part water and adding 2 parts sugar or sweetener, plus flavoring. Boil one minute while waffles are cooking, and voila!)
*I keep a large container of this mix on hand so it's easy to add to blender the night before:
4 parts rice
2 parts buckwheat
1 part quinoa
1 part millet
1/2 part flax seeds
The night before cooking, add 2 1/2 cups water to 2 cups of the grain mix and 1/4 c. dates. Continue instructions in the morning. Super quick, and it all gets soaked overnight.
Perfect White Bean Chowder
Boil 15 minutes until tender:
4 medium-large potatoes, peeled mostly and diced
3 c. water
Mash potatoes in water with potato masher so some clumps remain (mashing the potatoes thickens the liquid).
Add:
2 cans white beans (or great northern, white kidney, or a combo), drained
1 can corn, not drained
1-2 c. milk (cow's, unsweetened almond, canned, etc.)
1 T. chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
If you want it thicker, use:
A few T of cornstarch or flour mixed with a few T of water
Serve with:
tortilla chips
lime juice
sour cream or cottage cheese (mmmm...)
white cheese--whatever's on hand
diced green chilies (canned)—(We serve separately b/c some of us don’t like it.)
Tip: I make a season mix from the listed bouillon down to the garlic powder, in greater quantities, so I can later simply add 2 T of the season mix when I’m cooking. Brilliant! Easy!
Flax seed egg
¼ c. ground flax seed, any color from light to dark
1 c. water
Whisk together both ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat, bringing to a boil. Boil for one minute, lowering the heat so it doesn’t sputter. Remove from heat and let sit until thick and room temp. Use ¼ c. finished product per egg in baking and congealing needs. (You cannot tell the difference in food that you use dairy eggs or flax seed eggs in, but you’ll receive the Omega 3 and fiber punch from this tricky “egg.” Now, granted, don’t try to scramble up one of these eggs for breakfast, or you’ll be sorely disappointed.)
Bonus Recipe: Fudgy Flax Brownies
Mix in a large bowl:
1 c. cocoa
1 c. flax meal
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Combine in separate bowl:
1 c. milk, any kind
2 eggs (I use dairy since these brownies are already loaded with flax)
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. pure maple syrup
2 T. nut butter (I use almond butter, but you can use peanut butter, etc.)
Mix the wet with the dry and fold in:
½ c. mini chocolate chips (opt)
Spread in a greased 9x12 pan. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Note: Here’s where I cheat: since I feel so good about the nutritional value of the base of the brownie, I frost these brownies up with whatever frosting I have a hankering for: browned butter cream, mint, and so forth. My kids eat these without a second thought that they weren’t made with wheat flour.
The Best.Smoothie.Ever.
Before I reveal the best smoothie ever, I feel I must explain blenders. There was a time in my life where because of night-time teeth grinding and too many cavities as a child, I began to need root canals (more on teeth in a later chapter). Root canals aren’t cheap. And the blender I wanted was expensive.
It seemed whenever I got geared up to make the plunge to buy the blender of my dreams, I’d need a root canal, which sucked up that money. In fact, they seemed to be connected: blender hankering=root canal. So I decided to beat the system. I was just going to buy the blender.
I must insert here: buying a good blender is not about buying a “blender.” You must consider a good blender like a household appliance—a dishwasher, a clothes washer, an oven. You will find when you have a good blender, you use it often for healthy cooking. At one point, I was using my blender two times a day. I celebrated the day the “times-used counter” on my Blendtec (oops, gave the brand away!) registered 2,000 uses. I’ve used my blender thousands of times—as often as one might use a dishwasher, a clothes washer, and an oven.
The best brands currently on the market are Blendtec and Vitamix. Both are great. I chose the Blendtec because 1) it fit under the counter in my appliance garage—so it’s easier to pull out, and thus, more likely to be used, 2) It doesn’t need a plunger, which a Vitamix touts—so I figure it must be a bit better to not need a plunger, and 3) the blades aren’t at all sharp—you can hand wash down in the jar cavity without a care in the world about getting sliced. Oh, and to boot—I’ve had good luck with customer service: there is a character flaw in the jar I have now in that if liquids sit for long, the seal in the bottom wears away—but they are good to replace at no charge. So a tip for the Blendtec is to not let liquid sit in it—even after washing: turn it upside down.
What do I make in my awesome Blendtec? Well, smoothies—the recipe is waiting in the wings. Seeds and nuts crumble for my granola. Healthy pie crust (using nuts, oats, and honey). And I grind grain to fine flour. It purees and heats soups by the centrifugal action. Ice cream (from only frozen bananas and coconut milk). Anything you might throw in a food processor. Almond butter—yes, it is powerful. And so worth the money it took to supplant a blasted root canal!
So for the best smoothie ever:
Spinach or other greens, handful
Banana, 1 medium
Mixed frozen berries, 2 cups
Any other fruit about to go bad (you can even add strawberries with stems); just rough cut everything. Oranges are good and sweeten the pot.
½ pack stevia for sweetener (or agave nectar—though it’s hard to know when high fructose corn syrup has been secretly added).
Enough water or juice to the fill line—to the 3 cup mark.
Let sit for a half minute to soften the frozen fruit. Blend on Blendtec smoothie setting, #2 on the pad. Taste and adjust, and run the 20-second cycle once more for good luck.
My kids looooove this green smoothie, and they start the day off so smoothly (pun intended).
Crumble Nut Crust
Blend:
1 c. coconut
1 c. almonds
1 ½ c. oats
1 tsp. salt
Add and blend until it holds together when pressed:
4 tsp. warm honey
Press into greased 9x12 pan (baggie over hand to not stick)
Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Mediterranean Rice Salad
Serve salad in this order according to preferences:
Tortilla chips
Lettuce, spinach, shredded
Tomatoes, diced
Rice, prepared heated slightly; a nice sprinkling over lettuce
Sautéed Zucchini (from below)
Olives, sliced
Onion, sliced
Sunflower sprouts or seeds
Dressing (below)
Sauteed zucchini
Sauté about 2 min.:
1 T. EVOO (oil)
Zucchini, about 2 c., sliced
Add to skillet and stir until absorbed:
2 T. water
1 tsp. season salt of choice
Dressing
Whisk together:
½ c. Extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
¼ tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. honey or sugar
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. dried mint (or add fresh mint leaves, shredded, to salad)
Pepper to taste
(Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge for a month or two or three.)
Tip: Keep your healthy dressings ready in a canning jar in the fridge to rotate between yummy dressings.
Bone Broth
They say grandma was right that chicken soup would cure your sickness. Unbeknownst to many, however, grandma’s soup works its miracles through the steeping of the bones for hours or days to extract the nutrients of the animal’s bones for your own health. Then add all those vibrant life-giving vegetables.
So tasty, and truly good for your body. I enjoy my daily bone broth steeped for two days, then the final liquid separated from the veggies and bones. But you can eat it after a few hours of steeping- just remove the bones (or serve it with bones, like the Chinese!)
Bone Broth “in a nutshell”—pick what works for you, but bones are a must:
Bones from an animal (raised in the wild, most preferably). I might hit up hunter friends for the bones they chuck after they cut the meat off their catch. Or I buy one of those organic, antibiotic-free chickens from Walmart.
Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (a nice splash) for leaching nutrients from bone.
Add:
Greens—spinach, kale, chard, collards, you mine as well give it this calcium punch.
Carrots, celery, cabbage, peppers, and/or any veggie on hand
Potatoes with skins
Parsley and onion and garlic with their medicinal and anti-infection powers
Steaming water from cruciferous veggies like broccoli or cauliflower (to stave off cancer)
Himalayan sea salt and black peppercorns (or just enough salt from your shaker to feel like you're sipping a pleasant broth).
Forgiveness
(I could include an awesome way to cook elk steaks here, but let’s shoot for forgiveness instead!)
The spiritual act: Forgive like you were taught as a toddler: “Heavenly Father, I forgive Matt for stealing my toy.”
The physical act: Tell the person you forgive them. “I forgive you.”
If you can’t forgive them personally, forgive them out loud to yourself anyway—let things unseen know you are forgiving.
Redress wrongs. Make it better.
Redirect mind. Choose to create a good memory in place of the bad.
If it’s done, great! If you have a change of heart at this moment, continue on your merry way with a spring in your step.
If it’s not “done:”
“What has to end or die to experience a rebirth in a relationship: Self-introspection? A new choice? Pride?
Study more about forgiveness: even if no information is new, the spirit will continue to teach in a new light.
Recognize an emotional hook beyond the spiritual cleansing that must be addressed to move forward—is there still a repeating mental image or mantra that badgers despite the forgiving? This requires mastering your belligerent thoughts!
What have you still not learned about yourself and others? Especially if forgiving was difficult, a well-earned gift awaits you about a lesson to embrace and share.
What are you grateful about in this situation/person?
What do you need to teach others born through your experience of needing to forgive another person?
If that person/situation is toxic to you, you may have to learn to love them from the mountaintops—and that’s still Christlike to love even if only from a distance.
And finally, do you feel God’s spirit with you in relation to the forgiven infraction/person? If not, you are still allowing them to rankle you.
The ultimate gift of forgiveness is peace. Is it there?
Recipe for Fasting
(Going without food or drink for 24 hours while your spirit is fed).
Start with the prayer “roll”—roll onto your knees and let God know what’s in your heart.
Mix in concerns for others as well as yourself (Christ’s first and second Great Commandments).
Add a cup of love
Let rise all day—push down every now and then; when you feel hunger pains—remember what and who you fast for.
Optional (but certainly makes the dish): a trip to[ the temple or other] an uplifting worshipful place—God’s ready to speak to you as you’ve prepared yourself with a broken heart and contrite (sorry) spirit!
A generous offering for those in need shared as a donation of the money you would have used to eat this day of fasting (I like to offer that amount times ten).
Bake for at least 20 minutes: a final 20-minute prayer with paper and pen while God speaks what he wants you to know. Yes, this means praying with your eyes wide open.
(Tip for fasting: add lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and water to prep your body with hydration to ease up the going-without-food-for-a-day experience.)
Enjoy the next several days—the bounty of your harvest; expecting further direction and inspiration. The heavens are open and bounteous to you!
Build your spirit by going without the thing your body craves in order for the spirit to become the master over the body. The love you feel when your spirit reigns by going without food is tantamount to any diet you may instill.
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