2. Mama's Granola

Granola is a seriously great food item to have on hand for easy snacks and breakfasts.  It goes fast around here and I still can’t quite pin down who it is that eats it all.  Maybe its me. 

Anyways, as you all probably know cereal is really bad for you.  It is over processed over processed and full of sugar.  Plus cardboard box and plastic bag.  Additionally the equipment that makes it uses a type of alcohol to make it non-stick bu this alcohol is supposedly the culprit alcohol that Hulda Clark claims overloads the liver and aids in breaking cyst cell walls down of parasites that cause cancer in the body. So…..we do try to avoid any and all alcohol in all our products.

 It is amazing once you start really researching into what goes into manufacturing food how sinister (really the only word I could think of) the ingredients are.  The ingredients in all manufactured food is of convenience and making a buck.  It has nothing to do with nourishment or the best way to prepare food.

Did you know that oats need to be prepared properly?  They need to be soaked first to neutralize the phytonutrients in them and increase the available nourishment that they provide.  We would not know this because our generation is so far from knowing how to cook whole foods.  Most of us grew up with oatmeal from a carton or bag.  Originally, when oatmeal first came out in cartons, the directions said to soak it over night.  However, in the interest of selling more and being better and faster, this little bit of info. was taken off.  Which oatmeal would you buy, the one that says you have to soak it overnight or the instant oatmeal?  Not knowing any better, we would go for the faster version except……..wisdom has been lost and eating unsoaked oatmeal, seeds, and nuts is detrimental to our health.  This is worth your time to look into and you can check this information out and more in Sally Fallons book Nourishing Tradition and also on the Weston Price website.  This website is full of really great information on how to prepare your whole foods correctly!

First soak:

6 cups of oats

with

2 TB melted butter

2 TB melted Coconut oil

set in a bowl overnight 12 hours or so

Next day:

heat oven to  350

put oats in a large glass baking dish or large iron skillet

add:

  1 TB cinnamon

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup coconut

1/4 cup flaked up seaweed most any kind such as digitat, kelp, nori will work

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup water (you could add any flavoring along with this, vanilla extract, almond extract, coconut cream, etc.)

bake for 20 minutes or until most water has evaporated

add:

3/4 half cup raw honey spread in globs or a stream over granola

pop in oven for 5 minutes to warm

pull out  and stir well

add:

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup goji berries

1/4 cup raw cacao nibs

stir again real good

set out on table to cool

When cooled if it still feels a little moist, pop it in the oven for a few more minutes.

Methow Valley Herbs: Make your own herbal shampoo: Mountain Rose Herbs Blog Contest

Methow Valley Herbs: Make your own herbal shampoo: Mountain Rose Herbs Blog Contest

Make your own shampoo!!!!

Save money, transportation, and packaging by buying ingredients in bulk and having them on hand.  It is so empowering and healthy for us and the planet to know that we can take care of ourselves and our families with the bounty that mother nature has provided and that we know how to do it. 

Yes, the goal is to make everything homemade. Lets do it. ;)

Make 1 change everyday.

1. Layered vegetable casserole dinner

(one pot cast iron skillet dinner)

In a large cast iron skillet layer:

1/3 cup olive oil

sliced red onions

sprinkle 1 tsp salt over onions evenly

sweet potatoes quartered and then slices

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or any good bone broth

cooked brown rice

3 cloves chopped garlic (chop garlic 

1 slab tempeh. 1 cup or so crumbled up, cut in little pieces and then crumble to make it easier

1/2 tsp. turmeric

sprinkle on 3 tbs tamari

beet greens, sliced and chopped from 4 beets about 2 cups or any greens such as: kale, swiss chard, seaweed such as Digitata, dandelion

sprinkle another cup of cooked brown rice

Let simmer on low/med. with a lid on temp. 2

In a separate saucepan melt:

1/2 stick butter with 2 TB ground sage simmer for just a little until the aroma comes out

stir and add

1/2 cup sour cream 

1/2 cup plain whole yogurt

stir and pour on top vegetables in skillet evenly over the whole dish.

sprinkle on top 1 cup grated mozz. or cheese of your choice

sprinkle on top toasted sesame seeds 3 TB

Simmer on low for 20 min. or so until done

Complete cooking time from start to finish maybe be more than 20 minutes because wile I prepare the dish I have it simmering and covered between each addition of toppings and then simmer it an additional 20 min. or so.  Full cook time and prep may be more like 45 minutes.  Sweet potatoes take longer to cook than regular potatoes so leave yourself enough time.  Any potatoes, turnips, or celeriac or some such root/tuber may be substituted for the sweet potatoes.  The same with greens, most any good tasting greens can also be substituted for beet leaves.

* You will not believe the nourishing luscious gravy this recipe offers.  It really melts in your mouth.