Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe

Once you have finally got some good sourdough starter, the saga continues because now you have to sift through, literally, five million recipes to find which one to do! Some use yeast, some use eggs, it can be so overwhelming! So far I have tried about ten different recipes and here is our current favorite. Enjoy!

Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe:

1 Cup Sourdough Starter
2 2/3 Cup Flour (Bread Flour)
3/4 Cup Warm Water
1 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
oil to coat

Mix the yeast in the warm water, you can add a little sugar to help activate it, depends on who's making it in my house, I usually forget the sugar.

Meanwhile, mix the starter, flour and salt. Then add the water & yeast in. I don't have a bread maker or large mixer with dough hooks, so I am kneading it the old fashioned way. Then I put a little olive oil on it, and coat it. Plop the ball of dough back in the bowl & cover with a lightweight towel, at least overnight, but 24 hrs or more is best.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

I still haven't gotten a loaf that has risen super good, but the flavor and texture is great! Enjoy!

How to Make Sourdough Starter

I cannot believe I entered into the land of sourdough. How did this happen?? Well, like many other things I thought I'd never be able to do, sourdough was one of them. Then about a month or so ago I had a friend visiting who also has five kids and she said she made it all the time! So of course I thought, "man if she can do it, and hers are younger than mine, than maybe I can?"

So with her encouragement, I threw a cup of water and a cup of flour in a glass jar and mixed it up. At first I didn't know what I was doing, and everything online says to do different stuff and I was getting confused fast. So here is what I learned in the last five weeks and how I finally got the best batch of sourdough!

Making a Starter.

Making the starter isn't hard, but it takes patience, and if you don't mind eating bread that flops until you get it right, then this will work for you. Here's what worked for me:

1. In a glass (or ceramic) container mix 1 Cup flour with 1 Cup water. (no plastic or metal)
2. Stir with wooden spoon. (only wood) 
3. Each day it should look like it's risen a little bit with bubbles and should not be too thick. Think consistency of cake or biscuit batter as opposed to dough.
4. Every day add 1/3 Cup or so flour and water to "feed it" and mix. (I didn't follow the exact measurements because that was too difficult for me. I pretended like if I'm making bread from scratch then I'm like a prehistoric person who doesn't own proper measuring devices and God will help me.)
5. Stir at least once, or twice if your feeling like it, per day. (I am using this as a "pet" for my children hoping they will forget about the hamster they want so bad by feeding and stirring this)
6. Cover with a thin "tea towel" or any cotton, breathable cloth. (I use a thin kitchen towel)
7. After 5-7 days of this, your starter should be sour smelling. Start using it to bake and see how it goes. 

I got this adorable 70's looking ceramic flour canister from 

a thrift store which is perfect for my starter!

*Also note, no one says this anywhere so I really am loving you way more than other bloggers by telling you this... you can leave your starter out all the time as long as you stir and feed daily, and you DON'T have to feed it a lot. Feed it a little, it grows a little, feed it a lot, it grows a lot. So how much bread are you going to be making? Daily? Weekly? Feed it accordingly and leave it out.

*Putting it in the fridge confused me because it got funky and I am making bread everyday so I don't need it in the fridge. But you can google that if you are concerned, like for going out of town etc.


Hope these little tips helped you!!
Happy Fermenting!

The Absolute BEST Homemade Granola Recipe

I actually meant to make granola bars one day and tried a new recipe, that turned out all wrong, or was it?? Cause it ended up to be granola cereal in the end!! I honestly never thought I could make my own granola, I actually thought it was too hard for me! And granola cereal in the stores are not cheap, and they have all that added sugar and unnecessary ingredients. Well that gave me confidence to try recipes making my own "cereal" and I finally perfected this one- no sugar, no dairy, and gluten free. Enjoy! Mmmmmmm.

Preheat oven 300 degrees F

Ingredients:

3 Cups Oats (Old Fashioned, whole)
1/4 tsp organic/kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 Cup honey
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
1/8 Cup Maple
1/8 Cup Flax Seed
1/8 Cup Flax Meal
1/4 Cup Chopped Almonds, or Almond Meal
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1/4 Cup Unsweetened shredded coconut

In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients. In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil with all the wet ingredients. Once all melted, remove from heat and pour over dry mixture. Mix together well in the bowl.

Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet and place on the center rack of the heated oven. Bake, stirring after 15 minutes, until the granola is a very light golden brown. It should take 20 to 30 minutes.

Cool the granola completely, stirring it around so it doesn't stick together. (It hardens as it cools.)
Now add any other nuts or dried fruit, I added Craisins to mine.  Store in an airtight container, I keep mine in the fridge unless it will be eaten in 48 hrs.

Enjoy!

Body Pain + Inflamation

It is no secret that pain and sickness of every kind all derive from inflammation in the body, but how do you relieve the body of that inflammatory stress?

I talk to people everyday who are sick, in pain, and want to feel better. Along the way on my own journey to a stronger immune system, here are a few things I have found that have helped.

Before I give you the tips, remember, changing and behavior or creating a new life discipline takes time and hard work. Don't work too hard on the front end or you may throw the towel in before you've had a chance to feel better! Start slow, and change one thing at a time about your disciplines.

 I am also assuming also that you are aware of some of the obvious things, but if you are not, this list below is after you have mastered staying away from fast foods and processed foods. NEVER eat anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup, I'll blog on that later, or MSG ! (Did you know HFCS is in almost every loaf of bread on the market? and MSG is in almost every bag of potato chips and salad dressing! Shocking, I know! Always read labels!)

OK, I am giving you the top 3, there are a lot more, but these have been the the steady anchor for my health and are proven to help everyone despite the illness/health challenge.

1. Sleep.

When my doctor said, "how are you sleeping at night?" I said, I sleep great. I love to sleep, I can lay on the floor right now and take a nap." She explained that the amt. of sleep has nothing to do with it. The quality of sleep determines whether or not your body is properly repairing in the night. Since your body repairs at night, your sleep should be solid (un-interupted), and you should get REM, or "deep sleep". Here is a great article on how your sleeping:SLEEP

• Go to bed earlier. Sleep as close to the Sun's schedule as possible to optimize melatonin production. You may consider talking to your doctor about taking a melatonin supplement.

• Power down. Do not charge your phone next to your bed. Turn off your wifi at night and all other power in and around where you sleep. We have experimented with this and its true! More on EMF interrupting your brain resting here: Electropollution 

2. Water.

I personally drink 44-64 oz per day. When available, I drink 9.0 ph Alkaline water. If drinking water is hard for you, make it fun. Buy a dispenser container to keep in the fridge so you can monitor the amt. you are drinking. Fill it with lemon slices, cucumbers, or whatever makes it more exciting!
       For added oxygen to your red blood cells, add a few drops of chlorophyll (you can get plain or mint flavored).  This is also a cancer preventative, those red blood cells need to breath and if they are thriving they will work for your whole health!
       In addition to water drinking, green tea is also a great antioxidant,  and I have read that Japanese Green Tea is the best anti-cancer tea of the greens.

3. Starches

Starches are the big bad dudes that cause inflammation and body pain. So if you want to start somewhere, start there. Here's what to cut out:

• White Flour (or all grain/flour)
• White potatoes
• White Rice (or all rice)
• Sugar 

Think of starches in terms of carbs.  The more carbs your body takes in, the harder your body has to work to process that food. The harder your body works to process food, the less energy it has to heal itself, as it was designed to. To get rid of inflammation you sinply have to take all the props out of the way so your body can simply "do it's job".

Again, there are many more, but start here, and I'd love to hear you share your stories and testimonies!

to life!

Sore Throat Relief

 Throat Relief? YES! I have had too many sore throats to count, but guess what friends... I actually found a concoction that worked!
     The doctor said my chronic throat pain has been from allergies, stomach acid, and clearing my throat too much. Maybe they are right, but this last sore throat was so bad I actually took motrin! (which I never do because, yes, the next day my tummy was jacked up) So I decided to ask Dr. Google for some new home remedies to try, I mean I've had sore throats for 20 years, YES, 20 years!!
     First, I have to confess, I knew that Apple Cider Vinegar was good for sooooo many things, but I would never, i mean never, succumb to let it touch my lips, but I was desperate. I found these ingredients online and adjusted them a bit to suit my weak and queazy tummy. I drank this about 11 am, then again about noon, and poof! Sore throat KICKED! Yeah Baby!



Sore Throat Remedy Recipe:

1 Fresh Organic Lemon Squeezed (use every drop!)
2 Heaping TBSP Organic Honey
2 Capfuls (or more if you can handle it) Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup Boiled Water

Mix the first three together in a cup, add the boiled water, stir until honey is completely dissolved, and drink up! Smells like vinegar, but does not taste bad at all!

to health!
gina

Junior Type 1 Diabetes

Junior Type 1 Diabetes is a long, and winding road.

When it comes to Junior Type 1 Diabetes, I've always been a closest conspiracy theorist, meaning, deep in my heart, but afraid to admit it in public. I guess this is "coming out of the closet" so to speak. As the case of most medical conditions, I believe diabetes is one of the greatest money making industries. I recently read the book The Cantin Ketogenic Diet for Type 1 Diabetes and Cancer, and in it she noted the "average diabetic will contribute 1 million dollars to the medical industry in his/her lifetime". While I want to be supportive of the diabetes research foundation, etc, I cant help but feel that instinct deep in the pit of my stomach that my little girl who has type 1, is a pawn in a game of financial gain by pharmaceutical companies.

Maybe you have had that feeling too? So how do you dive into the JDRF, the JRF, etc.? I haven't even mentioned the spiritual end of it.

I know there is no sickness in heaven (Revelation 21:4) and we know that it is God's will for it to be "On earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) so how can we cloud our minds & life with illness when the higher reality is that God desires us to be free from all disease, even on the earth!? You see my dilemma as a mom of a T1D.

Well, last year, we took matters into our own hands, with God's help of course. And though we haven't made any extreme breakthroughs yet, and though my daughter is still pretty sick with her BS not under control, we have made some neat discoveries we would like to start some conversations about.

Are you a faith-filled diabetic? Or parent of one? I would love to hear from you.

How do you balance the not getting consumed with the "diabetes" and keeping your faith alive and hopeful?

mamaOFaT1, gina

Kale Banana Smoothie

Many have asked how to make this smoothie, and I've tried lots of variations, and so far this is the easiest and best. For moms, you should know, when you juice kale, it has a bit of a chocolately taste, in my opinion. So you can splash a little chocolate protein powder in it if you'd like. My kids LOVE it, it tastes like Chocolate Banana to them :) enjoy!

(I recently discovered Plant Fusion, my new favorite protein powder - organic, vegan, soy-free- buy it here  for 15$ per lb. or at Sprouts for $20 per lb.)

1 Cup Ice

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Kale Juice (I juice the kale curly leaves in my Omega Juicer- about 6 large leaves or 1/4 bag cut kale)

1 Whole (peeled) Banana

Put all ingredients in the blender and mix! 

Makes 24-28 oz (or 2 tall glasses)