Following a flurry of activity

The week following a busy week can be such a let down!! It is hard when Phil has to go back to work after a nice break, when guests leave, when the flurry of activities stop. All this is compacted because I want to be busy! Having a lot to do keeps my mind off of the impending labor. Having help with the children is such a blessing when I am uncomfortable and anxious, thus a less patient Mommy.

I cashed in on a delightful Birthday gift – a prenatal massage! The masseuse came to our house yesterday evening with her folding bench. I turned up the heater and lay on my side while she worked my sore back muscles and neck with delicious smelling mango butter. Phil took the kids to get the tires rotated and an oil change so the house was quiet and relaxing. It felt so wonderful!!!

I was surprised by one of my dear friends today, Abby! She dropped by on her lunch break and had lunch with us. It was great to see her! Our lives have busied and changed so much in the past several years that we don’t get a chance to hang out like we use to. It is always such a treat to spend time with her! The kids went crazy. Jubilee wanted to be on her lap the entire time and Sawyer, who is not a lap cuddler, wanted his turn as well.

I have been exploring a new philosophy of diet (as in eating habits) out of a book called Nourishing Traditions. One of the parts that is of particular interest to me is on fermenting grains. Fermenting grains makes them easier to digest and releases more nutrients. This greatly improves the nutritional value and has other health benefits.

Both my children tend to get eczema rashes with wheat and dairy products. In fact, Jubilee has a rash on her arms and wrists and I am not quite sure what is causing it. We use only goat dairy products and eat sourdough bread that my mom makes. I will be posting recipe favorites and discoveries as I learn more.

Here is a muffin recipe that I have experimented with.

2 ¼ C oats

1 ¼ C kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt (I have only used plain goat’s yogurt)

1 egg

¼ C honey

1 T baking powder

Soak the oats and yogurt overnight (at room temperature).

Add the other ingredients

Put in a muffin tin (makes 12)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes

I always add things to the basic recipe:

I found a ½ C of squash or pumpkin, walnuts, spices, and substituting maple syrup for honey to be quite tasty.

My favorite is to add a banana, vanilla, a handful of chopped dates, and nuts (cashews, walnuts, whatever) and omit the sugar.

Another little secret that I recently discovered with my children is using “Special salt” on just about everything. This originally was something that my mom made up as popcorn seasoning. Here is the recipe:

2 C Brewer’s yeast

1 heaping teaspoon of the following: Kelp powder, Paprika, Onion powder, Garlic powder

Blend in a blender or coffee grinder.

Comments

  1. MichelleDecember 1, 2007 at 9:45 AM

    I used to make a "special salt" like that except I added sesame seeds as well. I need to make that again. It was awesome. We sprinkled it on everything, salads, pasta, bean, you name it. Tasted like parmesan cheese and the kids didn't know the difference.

    ReplyDelete

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