Bottom Layer (peanut butter)

• 1/3 cup pb

• 2 T coconut oil, melted

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 T honey

• sea salt

Top Layer (chocolate)

• 1/3 cup pb

• 2.5 T coconut oil, melted

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 T honey

Directions

1. Mix ingredients for bottom layer and put about one tablespoon of mixture into each spot in a mini muffin tin

2. Mix ingredients for top layer and put about one tablespoon in each muffin tin space, on top of the peanut butter layer.

3. Place tin in freezer until solid. Store in closed container in freezer. Yum!

*my friend gave me this recipe and I don’t know where she found it.

Saint Patty Corned Beef

For a great traditional St. Patty's meal, try brining your own beef brisket. You need at least three to five days beforehand.

* A 5-pound beef brisket

* For the brine:

* 2 quarts of water

* 1 cup of sea salt

* ½ cup raw cane sugar (sucanat)

* 1 stick of cinnamon or about ¼ tsp cinnamon powder

* 1 T mustard seeds

* 1-2 T peppercorns

* ½ tsp whole cloves (8-10 individual cloves)

* 1 tsp allspice berries (optional)

* 1 T coriander seeds (optional)

* 1 tsp juniper berries (optional)

* ½ tsp dried ginger powder or about 1 tsp fresh minced ginger

* ½ tsp dried thyme leaf

* 5 garlic cloves, crushed or ½ tsp garlic powder

* 2-3 bay leaves, crushed

----

1. Place all ingredients in a pot (except the brisket) and warm up until salt and sugar are dissolved. (About five minutes)

2. Pour ingredients into glass dish with brisket in it. Then cover and place in fridge for 3-5 days.

3. Pull brisket out and rinse it off. Cook in slow cooker covered with water on low for 8 hours. (Can add potatoes, though they may get salty). If adding cabbage, do so the last hour.

* original recipe from wellnessmama

Honey nut brittle

We love this simple recipe that only uses honey and butter… And nuts of course.  For variety try different types of nuts where at in various other things like cocoa powder or different extract/flavorings, extracts, or coconut, etc.

* 1 cup honey
* 4 T butter
* 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
* 1 1/2 c chopped nuts (dry roasted peanuts are great)

--
1. If nuts aren't roasted, throw them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350° for about 10 minutes.
2. Put honey in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to boil. Keep boiling on medium low heat until the temperature is 285--soft crack stage, almost to hard crack stage.
3. Stir in butter and vanilla and cook one more minute.
4. Then add nuts, and pour contents from saucepan on to a parchment lined cookie sheet.
5. Place cookie sheet and freezer to harden. Break up and store wrapped in parchment paper so the pieces don't stick together too much.


Original recipe from www.nerdyhousewife.com

Candy Making: Cold Water Test

Now  not a big candy maker, but for Christmas I thought making a little caramel popcorn or nut brittle sounded nice. If you have a candy thermometer on hand, it makes these type of recipes easy. But if you lose yours or don't have one it might be nice to know how to judge the temperature based on a cold water test. So here is how to do that....

Cold-Water Test

For the cold-water test, spoon a few drops of the hot candy mixture into a cup of very cold (but not icy) water. Using your fingers, form the drops into a ball. Remove the ball from the water; the firmness will indicate the temperature of the candy mixture. If the mixture has not reached the correct stage, continue cooking and retesting, using fresh water and a clean spoon each time.

Thread stage (230 to 233 degrees F): When a teaspoon is dipped into the hot mixture, then removed, the candy falls off the spoon in a 2-inch-long, fine thin thread.

Soft-ball stage (234 to 240 degrees F): When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, the candy instantly flattens and runs over your finger.

Firm-ball stage (244 to 248 degrees F): When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, it is firm enough to hold its shape, but quickly flattens.

Hard-ball stage (250 to 266 degrees F): When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, it can be deformed by pressure, but it doesn't flatten until pressed.

Soft-crack stage (270 to 290 degrees F): When dropped into the cold water, the candy separates into hard, but pliable and elastic, threads.

Hard-crack stage (295 to 310 degrees F): When dropped into the cold water, the candy separates into hard, brittle threads that snap easily.

Homemade Tooth Powder

 If you're looking for a simple way to have your own toothpaste, in powder form so it doesn't get dirty from a dirty toothbrush, here is a basic recipe.  All you really need is the been tonight clay, or Redmond clay… But the other ingredients help to strengthen, heal and clean your teeth even more.

* 4 T Bentonite Clay
* 3 T Calcium Powder (crushed clean eggshells--optional for remineralizing teeth)
* 1 T Baking Soda (optional)
* 2 T Powdered Mint Leaf (optional, or essential oil)
* 1 T Cinnamon Powder (or e.o.)
* 1 tsp of Clove Powder
* 1 T (or more to taste) Xylitol Powder
* Essential oils for taste- optional
---
Mix all together and store in a glass jar. To use just dip a clean wet toothbrush into the powder and brush on teeth as normal.

Make sure powder stays dry so it does not go bad. And to make it into a paste you can add coconut oil. But the paste will go bad if you dip a dirty toothbrush into it.

You can also brush once or twice a week before this with activated charcoal to help clean and whiten your teeth. But it is not a tooth powder/paste replacement.


* Original recipe from www.wellness mama.com

Elderberry Syrup

 It's that time of year…" when the world falls in love."
 Oh wait, I'm not talking about that Christmas song. I'm talking about the cold season. We made this last year and just took a teaspoon for kids daily and a tablespoon for adults. But I've heard it's best to take five of the seven days to give your body a little bit of a break. It is a simple recipe if you have dried elderberries on hand. And if not, your local health store might have some or you can just get a cupful.

* ⅔ c dried elderberries
* 3½ c of water
* 2 ginger root
* 1  cinnamon stick (1T powder)
* ½ tsp cloves
* 1 c raw honey

---
1. Boil all ingredients, except the honey; until reduced by half (about 45minutes)
2. Remove from heat and stir in honey
3. Let cool and place in closed glass jar. Store in fridge.
4. Take 5 days/week during cold season (1 tsp/kids, 1 T/adults). 3-5 times/day if have a cold.


* Original recipe from www.wellness mama.com

Things to make using medjool dates

I try to use natural sweeteners in all my recipes and cooking nowadays. And I've found that I normally can get away with fruits as sweeteners. For my muffins I'll just add lots of raisins or dates. Dates blended up work wonders. They are super sweet and sometimes we just eat one or two after dinner as our dessert (or a prune or something). The key for including them in things is generally to take out the pit, soften/soak in water, and blend up or chop finely.

Here are a few things I put dates in...
Muffins
Pancake batter
Power balls
Cranberry sauce
Sweet potato topping with pecans
But/date pie crust
Almond milk or smoothie/shake
Oatmeal

Caramel Popcorn

Here is a basic caramel popcorn recipe. Great for the holidays.

• 1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sucanat
• Pinch sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla

---

1. Pop the popcorn

2. Melt the butter, sweeteners an salt together. Bring to a simmer and cook gently about five minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla (it will foam a bit).

4. Quickly use a wooden spoon to stir hot mixture into popcorn. (A big brown paper bag works best and is easiest cleanup since the caramel will harden really fast. So work quickly!)

The variation for this are endless. I'd like can't cane and a chocolate/coconut oil drizzle variation.

Peppermint Almond Joy bites

 It's the Christmas season and we are looking for more healthy dessert recipes. I wanted some type of a coconut ball or something. I found this recipe, which isn't  exactly what I wanted, but it tastes great. It reminds me of our Powerball's, but the ingredients make it more Christmasy.  Some people call these almond Joy bites. But I've taken that and added peppermint flavor to make it great for this season.

• 2 cups Medjool dates, pits removed
• 2 cups almonds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
•  A few drops of peppermint oil ( or a candycane)

 Just throw everything into your food processor and blend it up for about three minutes. That's it. 

* original recipe is from www.givemesomeoven.com 

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Hotdogs: uncured versus cured

 I was looking for some hotdogs the other day to satisfy my kids lunch appetite. And came across uncured hotdogs. I wasn't sure what that is, so I looked it up…

"Uncured hot dogs do not contain artificial nitrates or nitrites. The meat in an uncured hot dog is preserved with celery juice or celery powder, which happen to be a naturally occurring source of nitrates. Uncured hot dogs, like cured hot dogs, are fully cooked and should be prepared the same way."

 So uncured hotdogs aren't much different than the other types of hotdogs except that they're slightly healthier, because they use a naturally occurring nitrate instead of an artificial one to preserve the hotdogs and prevent the growth. 

 Good job celery for being helpful for preserving hotdogs…  who'd of thought? 

 So next time you're getting hotdogs… Keep your eye out in case there are uncured ones which are slightly healthier. Of course it still is a hotdog. 

Spinach and butternut squash meatless lasagna

 Here's a nice meatless lasagna recipe.

 Ingredients:
12  cooked lasagna noodles
1-2 cups grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese
 Light sprinkling of Grated Parmesan, or as desired

Butternut Squash Filling:
• 2 cups butternut squash puree(about half of squash)
• 3 T butter
• 1/2 cup water (or more, if needed)
• 
  
Spinach Filling:
• 5 handfuls of spinach (1 cup when "cooked")
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Mix the butternut squash filling with butter and water. 

2.  Separate bowl mix all the things together for the spinach filling.

3. Grease a 9x13 dish, then  place half the butternut squash filling on the bottom of the dish. 

4.  Add cooked  lasagna  noodles to cover the squash. And then add the spinach feeling as the second layer on top of those noodles. 

5. Add another layer of cooked noodles and then put the remaining half of the  puréed squash on top.

6.  Lastly, at the last layer of noodles on top and cover with grated cheeses.

7.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. ( covered if you don't want it to get too dry  or crispy).

Fruit Salsa

Charise shared a yummy recipe with us at the reunion for fruit salsa....using only fruit and no other sweeteners. Loved it!

1 pound strawberries finely diced
1 medium Apple peeled, cored, and finely diced
half a can of drained crushed pineapple

Mix everything together (best to use a food processor for the Apple and strawberries).
Mix together well and put it in a jar in the fridge. Use within a few days. 


*Great with Stacy's cinnamon chips, vanilla wafers or homemade cinnamon chips!

Hawaiian Power Bites

I bought the Aussie Bites from Costco and really enjoyed them. They are a hearty and filling little mini-muffin sized granola bar muffin bite. So I looked up a homemade recipe and found this one. It isn't exact, but it still tastes great. With the coconut and apricots it tastes a little tropical to me, so I call the Hawaiian Power Bites.

1/2 c coconut oil
1/2 c pure maple syrup
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 c flaxseed, ground
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt (omit if using salted sunflower seeds)
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c dried apricots

Directions
1. Melt oil and mix with maple syrup. set aside.
2. Put all dry ingredients in a food processor.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients.
4. Bake in mini muffin tins at 350 for 12 minutes. (we use a toaster/convection oven at 325 for 12 minutes). Makes 24. You could also just press them in a 9x9 and cut into squares for bars, but I haven't tried that with this particular recipe because I love the mini-muffin bites.


* original recipe from www.ohmyveggies.com

Cran-Turkey Rollups

For the holidays my mom made her cranberry relish stuff. Nice and fresh. It was nice to eat afterwards with slices of turkey sandwich meat. So this is that idea/recipe.

1 small bag fresh cranberries

1 green apple (doesn't have to be green)

1 orange, whole

1-2 handfuls dates, pitted

Turkey sandwich meat (to roll relish up in)

1. Just blend everything together and adjust to taste. (I had to use a food processor and to the biggest, hardest stuff first, then the apples and cranberries last)

2. Use turkey sandwich meat to roll up a spoonful of cranberry relish.

Tzatziki Sauce

This is a basic Greek sauce used for gyro/pita sandwiches. It also tastes great on fish or for a salad dressing.

1. Peel and cut cucumbers in half and de-seed (unless using long skinny English cucumbers which are fine with peel and don't have big seeds). 
2. Then shred and squeeze out excess water. Add salt and let sit for at least a half hour to keep getting the excess water out. Frequently squeeze and drain--or it will be runny.
3. Then add sour cream/yogurt and a dash of garlic powder. I usually do about about 1 cucumber per cup (so 2 total). But more or less if fine. Add a dash or olive oil if desired.
4. Optional to add dill at the end.

Whole Grain Blender Pancakes

Charise sent me this recipe and her tips for it awhile back, and I thought I'd post it. I've made it many times with adjustments, so I've put in my changes on this recipe. If you want to exact original you can ask her for it.
It uses soaked grains...just soak over night (for easier digestion) and then you can make them in the morning. (see hint at end about freezing it)

1 c whole wheat (spelt or kamut)
1/2 c flour
1 c milk (I use water and a tablespoon of yogurt)
2 tsp. baking powder 
2 eggs
2-3 T oil (melted butter or melted coconut oil)
1/2 c buttermilk (I just use water until desired consistency)
1 tsp. salt
2 T sweetener (rapadura or honey)

1. Rinse, and soak 1 cup of whole wheat kernels in purified water with 1 T of plain yogurt, buttermilk or kefir (lemon juice or acv also work) for at least 12 hours (I do a full day) on the counter.  
2. Rinse again before putting into the blender.

Next day:
3. Blend soaked whole grains, flour, milk on high speed for 5 minutes.  
4. While blending, add eggs, oil, buttermilk, salt and sweetener.  
5. Add baking powder in last minute.
6. Cook on a hot greased griddle till bubbles form then flip to cook the other side.  

Makes 18-20 pancakes. (If doubled...I use three eggs, not four.)

Hint:  I like to add a little whole grains at the last minute so they don't quite blend fully to add some texture to the pancakes.  If you want the batter more thick, add more flour but this consistency works great for us.  We double the recipe for 8 people.

Also.... First I rinse the grains, then soak about 10 cups of mixed grains (kamut or spelt and barley and oats) in a large bowl with 5 T of Kefir or yogurt for 24-48 hours.  Then, I rinse the grains again.  I then put 2 cups in each zip-lock bag and put in the freezer so they are ready to put in my blender pancake recipe.  It works out great because you are locking in the nutrients and the pancakes are somewhat sourdough but not exposed to the heat of dehydration after the soaking process and you don't have to have a sourdough start.  It is also very easy to dump in all ingredients into the blender!  

from Charise

Easy Healthful Muffins

These muffins are great because they are easy and versatile and have no white flour or gluten flours as well as no dairy or sweeteners, besides fruit.

1 1/3 c Oat Flour (rolled oats ground in blender)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 c applesauce (optional)
2 bananas (or 1 1/2 plus a little water)
1/4-1/2 c walnuts
Handful raisins
A few tablespoons of ground flax, optional

1. Mix wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another bowl.
2. Combine wet and dry and bake in greased muffin tin at 350 degrees for 25 or so minutes.
(We do 30 minutes at 325 for our little convection oven)

I've done lots of variations of these and they work great:
Apple craisin (shredded apple, sub craisin for raisin)
Pumpkin chocolate chip (pumpkin in place of applesauce) add a little maple syrup

Chia Breakfast Pudding

If you want a quick, power-packed breakfast, this simple pudding allows for lots of variation.

2 T Chia seed

1 cup liquid (we like milk or a milk alternative)

2 T chopped nuts and seeds (we keep a container of chopped nuts in the fridge and grind flax)

1 T maple syrup or other sweetener (I try to use extra fruits so i don't need this, or stevia, but it tastes best with maple)

Handful of fruits (I love blueberries or raspberries and grapes, plus shredded coconut)

Optional toppings (we use wheat germ, wheat grass or alfalfa powder as a multivitamin alternative)

Just put all together and let sit five minutes for the chia seeds to thicken the milk into a pudding. 

You can make this the night before, but it is so fast and easy there isn't really a need. Although some people soak their oats the night before and then put the chia in the morning to make their oatmeal (hot or cold). So you could try that.

Bohemian Medley - Cereal

We love to eat this because it's so light and healthy. It's not a hard fast recipe, but flexible. And It is our cereal replacement.

grated apple
chopped nuts
seeds (optional...we just add a little ground flax or something)
granola (optional: or sweetened, cooked quinoa)
berries (raspberries are my favorite)
applesauce (optional)

My husband likes this without applesauce, but I think it's a little dry without it. But he loves granola.
You don't need granola. I typically don't add it in. The nuts and shredded apple make this.
If I do add cooked quinoa, I put in maple syrup. And I process the chopped nuts one day and keep them in a pourable container in my fridge for that week.

It'a also nice that different family members mix in however much they want of each into their own bowl...like a build you own cereal. I don't know why we call it Bohemian Medley...we just made it up because someone once called our kitchen table style bohemian-ish.

Fruit Slushy

3/4 c. water
1 lemon, peeled and quartered
1 t. lemon zest (I don't always use this)
1/4 tsp. stevia (or 1/4 c sweetener of choice)
2 c. ice cubes

This tastes like a lemonade slushy. If you swap out some ice for frozen strawberries, it tastes like strawberry lemonade slushy. It may get thick. Also, you can swap out the lemon for watermelon instead....or try other variations.