Nourishing Traditions and other Recipes for a Better Health

[FarmerJamie]

The photo shows up when you are not logged in on the site.

Joking about sending the book back.

 

[moolie]

Ah, I think I get logged in automatically--let me try logging out, I have no idea what the site looks like out there...

eta: just logged out to see and it looks very nice and organized.

 

[Britesea]

Here is Hubby's bread recipe. This one is not 100% whole wheat, but it rises better. It is still very tooth-satisfying. This is based on the recipe from Breadtopia.com, which was inspired by the book "My Bread" by Jim Lahey. He prefers to weigh out his ingredients rather than measure volume as it is more accurate.

300 grams white bread flour
100 grams whole wheat bread flour
8 grams salt (or to taste)
325 grams water
cup (generous) sourdough starter
cup mixed seeds and grains*

Add dry to wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Cover with plastic bag. Let sit for 12-18 hours until roughly doubled in volume. Turn onto floured surface and press flat with fingers and stretch slightly. Fold in thirds in one direction, then fold in half in the other direction and let sit 15 minutes. Pick up with floured hands and gently shape the dough into whatever bread shape you require (ie oblong, round, etc). Place in a floured, oiled basket or (preferable) well floured basket and cover with plastic. Let sit for 2 hours.
After an hour, start the oven with the baking container in the oven (we use a clay pot, but a cast iron dutch oven makes a good crust too). Allow it to get good and hot (480-500 degrees. You may need to experiment to find the best performance with your oven). If you are using a dutch oven or other heavy pan, give it another hour beyond the time your oven needs to reach temperature (if you are using regular bread pans, it isnt necessary). Turn the bread into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. If you are using a dutch oven or clay baker, take the lid off at 30 minutes and allow the crust to finish for another 5 minutes. The color of the crust should be a light mahogany. You can test for doneness with a meat thermometer (200-205 degrees). Turn it out onto a rack and let cool for a minimum of an hour. This is important- the bread continues to cook during this time. (But first listen to the loafits really cool to hear it crackle and sing when it first comes out of the oven!)

If you want to make 100% whole wheat bread, just use 400 grams of whole wheat bread flour instead of the mix, and perform 3 stretch-and-folds at 15 minute intervals BEFORE allowing the dough to rise for 12-18 hours. A stretch-and-fold is to take the ball of dough and stretch it out as far as the elasticity will allow you to without breaking the dough, then fold in thirds, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat the operation. This replaces the kneading in normal bread making that develops the gluten.

If you want to use dry yeast instead of sourdough starter, just replace the 1/4 cup starter with 1 gram of dry yeast (about 1/4 tsp).

* the seed and grain mixture we use starts with a package of Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled cereal, and equal amounts of whole flaxseed, poppy seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed, and pumpkin seed if we can get it. We have also substituted things like millet and quinoa as well.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Okay, I need a plan with goals to help the discussion.

Step 1: My breakfast - I used to have an egg, coffee, bacon or sausage, and one piece of toast with butter for breakfast. By 10 am, I was so hungry for a snack. Family prefers pancakes or waffles with maple-flavored HFCS. I need to at least get back to my routine. Other options?

Step 2: Snacks - Schedule doesn't always permit mealtimes at regular times. Having snacks should cut down on the "I'm starving" feeling at lunch or dinner. No rabbit food please, after about a week, I'm sick of it. Low carb or other options for snacks on the go?

 

[Wifezilla]

Coconut meal pancakes will fill ya up good.
http://www.nourishingdays.com/2010/07/fluffy-coconut-flour-pancakes/
You can stick with bacon and eggs...just add a few more eggs and skip the toast.

As for snacks... cheese, nuts, pieces of ham or turkey, greek yogurt, etc...

 

[FarmerJamie]

Thanks, WZ, I get the cheese/meat snacks, but any substitution options for potato chips? Love the salty crunch.

 

[Wifezilla]

That's a tough one. I like thin slices of jicama dipped in to warm queso dip or jicama with chunky blue cheese dressing.

Other than that, crispy nuts using the Nourishing Traditions recipe. Nom nom nom!

 

[moolie]

I have a blender pancake/waffle recipe from my nutritionist friend that is pretty awesome:

Blender Pancakes/Waffles

Soak 1 cup wheat berries overnight in half a cup of water
In the morning, add 1/2 cup milk and blend on highest setting for 3-4 minutes until smooth
Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp oil or butter, and 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey and blend on low until combined
Use blender jar to pour batter on pan for pancakes or into waffle iron for waffles

*for waffles increase total amount of oil/butter to 1/4 cup

Makes 8 regular pancakes or 6 large waffles, easy to double

You can buy real maple syrup to replace the HFCS and go "fancy" like we do and serve the waffles/pancakes with yogurt (we do home-made) and fruit (canned or frozen is just fine) My girls also like their waffles with natural peanut butter and home-made jam.

A breakfast of bacon/sausage and eggs with good toast and butter sounds wonderful, how early do you eat? My hubs is up at 6am to leave for work at 7am so he always has a morning snack but we're not low-carb people so I don't know how helpful our list will be:

slice of home-made cheese pizza
apple or other fruit
cup of granola--we don't do bars--either with milk or yogurt
plain home-made yogurt with fruit
natural peanut butter & celery or apples
veggies and home-made dip
home-made oatmeal honey cookies
home-made banana muffins/loaf with butter

We bake ahead and freeze in Tupperware containers so hubs and the girls can just grab things when they are making their lunches.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Thanks, Moolie. I try to be up and out the door by 6:45 am (and the eggs are fresh from the backyard as you know!). I am trying to stay low-carb, though..

As far as maple syrup goes, the farmer up the road taps the trees on the properties around us. Doesn't get much fresher than that, but the girls think it is "too strong".

WZ, the wife went on a cleaning rampage last week, and now I can't find the cookbook tonight!!!!

 

[framing fowl]

For my crispies lately I've been buying beets and slicing them thin. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and bake at about 250* for about an hour. They crisp up a bit after you take them out of the oven. I eat them like potato chips.

I also like to snack on nuts and cheese. I also find a crunchy apple is good, but I don't know if you consider that rabbit food...