Mexican Wildflower

"Yes To" Product Review

2012-02-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

It was an exciting day at our house when my package from Yes To Carrots arrived. I was asked to try out some of their products. What makes this great is that all of Yes To’s products are paraben, phthalate and sodium laurel sulfate free. Their products contain actual fruits and vegetables. They also use aloe vera, green tea, jojoba oil and sweet almond oil in their products. To read more head over to Virtuous Girlhood.

52 Weeks, 52 Verses {Week 6}

2012-02-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

{Photo Credit}

Menu Plans Feb 5-8

2012-02-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

Hello, I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I'm going to be heading up to Northern California later this week to visit family so my menu plans only take me through Thursday morning.

Sunday

Breakfast: Quiche, apple
Lunch: Chicken Shuarma, Arabic rice, salad w/ tahini dressing
Dinner: Red Lentil Coconut Soup and carrots

To do: Bake goodies for Tea, soak corn meal

Monday

Breakfast: Corn meal mush, apple, fried egg
Lunch: Chicken Shuarma, Arabic rice, salad w/ tahini dressing
Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup, carrots, kraut

To do: Soak and dehydrate almonds

Tuesday

Breakfast: Scone, soaked almonds, fruit
Lunch: Lime chicken, cortido, corn tortilla
Dinner: Red Lentil Coconut Soup and kimchi

To do: Soak pinto beans

Wednesday

Breakfast: Bean Burrito, cortido, orange
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Sopes w/ picadillo, cortido

Thursday

Breakfast: Bean Burrito and apple

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 20}

2012-01-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the Lord's protection. This last week I went up to San Diego to get my car smogged, run some errands and meet up with a friend. Finding a smog station that was open took me forever so it put all my errands behind. (My car failed smog on three accounts.) It's not a smart idea to drive on Mexican highways at night, especially when you are a single white American girl with only so-so Spanish. I consolidated my shopping lists and tried to get accomplished as much as I could. As I picked up my co-op order I knew I was pushing the limits but I couldn't leave my things at the drop off house. I briefly thought about calling one of my directors and asking permission to stay the night at a friend's house. I decided against it and headed for the boarder. I crossed the boarder noticed I was low on gas, added some to my tank and went on my way. By this time twilight was creeping in and I had an hour more to still drive on highway that is under construction. A few miles past the city I look down at my dash board and was that my car was overheated. The dial (or whatever you call it) was within a milometer from the hot line. I pulled over to the shoulder and turned on my emergency flashers. I called another director, Eddie and he told me to stay where I was and that he would be there is 45 minutes. Then he called back and told me one of his friends who lived near by was going to come and find me but needed to know where I was. I haven't made this drive in such a long time that I didn't know where I really was. By now it was DARK. I called a couple friends to pray for me and to keep my mind distracted. Pray and chattering out of fear and nerves.

About an hour later I called my dad because I realized "What if?". What if something happened to me I would at least like to least like to hear his voice and let him know that I loved him, and say high to my mom and sister as well. Right as I was calling him Eddie's friends showed up. By this point I already had my dad freaked out, then I tell him I have to go because I'm being rescued by some Mexican men that I don't know. I thought I hung up with him but I didn't so Dad heard me talking to some men in broken Spanish trying to explain what was wrong. Then I realized he was still on the line so I let him know that I was following then back to their house to wait for Eddie. Which was one minute from where I had been waiting.

Part Two to be continued on Thursday...

Soothing Balm

2012-01-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

This balm is perfect for soothing mild rashes, cuts and scraps. I sent some to my friend Mare of Just Making Noise for her little boy that was born a year ago last December to use as a diaper cream.

Soothing Balm

2 parts yarrow flowers
1 part calendula
1 part lavender
1 part rose petals
1/2 part comfy root
2 1/2 parts olive oil
3 parts coconut oil
1/4 cup bee's wax pellets for every cup of oil

I used 1/4 cup of each part herb. For every cup of herb I used a cup of oil. Olive Oil is rich in Vitamin E and has anti inflammatory properties. Coconut oil has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties. Add all your ingredients to a crock pot and turn it on to the lowest setting. Leave for two to three days.(Note: Because my crock pot tends to get rather hot, I periodically check on it and turn it off at night.) After three days you will have and herb infused oil. Strain off all the herbs. You can do this by using a stainless steel stainer or a cheese cloth. I use both. The cheese cloth allows you to squeeze out as much of the herb oil as possible. Pour your herb infused oil back into the crock pot and turn it medium heat. Slowly stir in about 4 TBS of beeswax pastilles. Once the beeswax pastilles are fully incorporated pour in to a container(s) of your choice.

{Photo Credit}

This post is part of Teach Me Tuesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Simple Lives Thursday,

52 Verses 52 Weeks {Week 5}

2012-01-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Menu Plans Jan 29-Feb 4

2012-01-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

Last week was full of some unexpected circumstance so I didn't make everything on my menu last week so some are being added to this week's menu. :) I hope you all have a wonderful week. What on your menu?

Sunday

Breakfast: Baked eggs, corn tortillas, fruit

Lunch: Honey Sauced Chicken, soaked brown rice, ginger carrots

Dinner: Spaghetti with meat sauce, everyday kraut

To do: soak oats, soak wheat, soak chick peas, soak rice

Monday

Breakfast: Crock Pot Oatmeal, fruit

Lunch: Honey Sauced Chicken, soaked brown rice, ginger carrots

Dinner: Chicken and Rice Soup, side salad

To do: cook chick peas, make chick pea salad,

Tuesday

Breakfast: egg bake, toast, fruit

Lunch: chick pea salad

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup, bread, carrots

To do: soak lentils and rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: Refried beans, corn tortillas, cortido and oranges

Lunch: Chicken and Rice Soup, green salad, bread

Dinner: Red Lentil Coconut Soup, carrots

To do: feed sourdough

Thursday

Breakfast: Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes

Lunch: Chicken Torta, yuca fries and carrots

Dinner: Leftovers

To do: soak oats

Friday

Breakfast: Crock pot Oatmeal, lacto-fermented apples

Lunch: Spaghetti with meat sauce, green salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup

To do: soak beans

Saturday

Breakfast: Beans, corn tortillas, cortido and fruit

Lunch: Chickpea Salad and carrots

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 19}

2012-01-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for hot cocoa. It's a perfect a relaxing treat for a mama (or anyone) at the end of a long day.

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 18}

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

{Photo Credit}

I am thankful for the rain that has been nourishing our garden and supplying water for our well.

Thai Yellow Curry

2012-01-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Thai yellow curry, it has to be one of my favorite Thai dishes. My friend Liz and I have a place we love to go for lunch in the San Diego area. Not that we go frequently, I'm talking about four or five time a year max. When we do go we have a science to it. She gets yellow curry I get a Pad See Ew, an amazing noodle dish. We always get the lunch special that comes with soup, salad and a spring roll. Without even asking she takes my soup and I take her salad. She picks all the onions out of her food and puts them on the edge of her plate. I eat all those yummy onions up. I rarely get curry at the restaurant because I can make one that is pretty good at home, where as my attempts at making Pad See Ew have been complete failures. So I get my yellow curry fix at home. Curry is a great way to consume more coconut and stretch your chicken!

You can adjust the amount of curry powder to taste. Different brands are spicier than others. The yellow curry powder that I use is a combination of three different ones from an Asian market. I buy my palm sugar in bricks from the Asian market as well. I know that some places sell a paste but I have yet to find any.

Thai Yellow Curry

serves 4

1/2 can coconut milk
1 cup of water
3 TBS yellow curry powder
1 TBS palm sugar
1 large carrot, cubed
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 cup green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 chicken legs
1 medium onion, cubed
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 TBS of coconut oil
1 tsp of salt

Heat one TBS of coconut oil in a deep skillet. Gently place chicken legs in skillet and cover with a lid. Turn chicken every few minutes, until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the other TBS of oil to the skillet, saute the onions until almost translucent. Add potatoes, carrots, green beans and grated ginger, cook until almost soft. While that is cooking mix the coconut milk and water together. Slowly whisk in the yellow curry powder, salt and palm sugar. Pour over the vegetables and bring to simmer. Remove the chicken from the bones and cut into small pieces, add to the curry. Cook for about five more minutes. Serve over white or soaked brown rice.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

52 Verses 52 Weeks- Week 4

2012-01-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Psalms 90:14

This is how I want to start each day; being satisfied with Jesus, if I am not satisfied in him first then nothing else will satisfy. LORD fill my heart with your love let me always be joyful and glad because of you.

Menu Plan January 22- 28

2012-01-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

The past few months I have been so lax in making a menu plan for the week. The end result was wasted food that got lost in the fridge and not as nourishing meals. In order to keep myself accountable and to give you all ideas I decided to start posting my meals for the week on Saturdays. I didn't include snacks but if I have them it includes things like veggies, fruit, yogurt and hot cocoa (I just got more raw milk!!). I hope this gives you some ideas!

Sunday

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, corn tortillas, fruit

Lunch: Shredded Mexican Chicken, rice, corn tortillas and carrot sticks

Dinner: Mock Zuppa Tuscana Soup and sauerkraut

To do: soak Oats, make broth from chicken bones

Monday

Breakfast: Crock Pot Oatmeal, yogurt, fruit
Lunch: Yellow Curry, side salad, kimchi
Dinner: Mock Zuppa Tuscana Soup and side salad with Italian Kraut

To do: soak flour for tortillas and muffins, make fruit leather, soak wheat and almonds

Tuesday

Breakfast: egg bake, toast, fruit

Lunch: Beans and tortillas, carrots

Dinner: Steamed Cabbage Dim Sum, kimchi, dehydrate almonds

To do: Make tortillas, burritos for freezer and muffins, soak lentils and rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: refried beans, corn tortillas, cortido and oranges

Lunch: Yellow Curry, side salad and kimchi

Dinner: Red Lentil Coconut Soup and muffin

To do: Check grocery list

Thursday

Breakfast: Muffin and apple

Lunch: Out in San Diego

Dinner: Leftovers

To do: Dive to States to pick up co-op and grocery shop, soak rice

Friday

Breakfast: egg bake, toast/muffin, orange

Lunch: Honey Sauced Crock Pot Chicken, soaked brown rice, ginger carrots

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup

To do: soak beans

Saturday

Breakfast: Beans, corn tortillas, cortido and fruit

Lunch: Honey Sauced Chicken, soaked brown rice, ginger carrots

Dinner: Butternut Squash Soup

Salve, Tinctures and More Giveaway!

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today we have a special treat for you! We are having a giveaway of some of my favorite all natural, skin safe body care products and natural remedies. In April I will be opening a shop on Etsy and I would like to start off by sharing a few of my products with, you my lovely readers. The shop will feature salves, lip balms, lotion bars, tinctures and teas.

All the salves, lip balms, and lotion bars contain coconut oil, olive oil bee's wax and herbal oils. The tinctures and teas use organic or wild crafted herbs. I don't use any thing in my products that I wouldn't use for myself and my girls.

Two winners will receive a surprise pack of 5 of my products!

To Enter

Leave a comment telling me your favorite herb (one entry)

To increase your chances to win, leave a comment everyday telling me what you did that day.

For 4 additional entries you can:

Like Mexican Wildflower on Facebook (one entry)
Subscribe to our RSS Feed (one entry)
Follow Mexican Wildflower on Blogger (one entry)
Follow Mexwildflower on Twitter (one entry)

Please leave a seperate comment for each entry. With every comment please leave your email so that if you win I can contact you.

That gives you five entries today and one every day until February 20. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. (If you live in another country but have a State side mailing address that works, it's what I do!) The winner will be announced soon after.

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 17}

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for delicious cups of tea. They are soothing, relaxing and calming to the soul, especially when drank while reading a good book.

Mommy to Thirty

2012-01-18T04:00:00.001-08:00

I am a mom but not in your ordinary terms. I stumbled upon motherhood when I was twenty. It wasn't really something I planed on, but God did. I came to Mexico when I was 19, fresh out of High School to wash laundry for a year at Rancho Sordo Mudo, a school for the Deaf. At the end of the year I was asked to come back as dorm parent for the next school term. I was ecstatic, I had hoped I would be asked and I was! I didn't picture myself down here for very long just another year or two. I planned to go to college even though by that point I wasn't sure I wanted to go, it was just what you did. I thought about going to Bible College, that could be fun. Yet God once again had other plans. Since that first year of mommyhood I have been a "mama" to 30 deaf girls. Some I have had for seven years others for only a few months but they all hold a special place in my heart. I can't imagine life without them. We've gone through ups and downs good and bad yet I still love them dearly. Some girls that have left I keep in contact with vis webcam or facebook. Others that I haven't heard from in a few years. Even then they are still my girls. I still think about them, pray for them and love them.

Would you know that's I'm already a grandma and have been one for a couple years now? How's that for a 26 year old? Mom of 30, Grandma to 4. That's what happens when you're a mom to girls only a few years younger than yourself.

I think one of the hardest things is that they are not mine to keep. At the end of each school year I have to give them back to their own families. Sometimes their parents don't bring them back and never say why. It rips your heart out. There's a whole handful that I don't even know where they are anymore. Most of my precious girls come from single mom homes, with families that don't know sign language and don't have a relationship with Christ. That's when I remember who's they truly are; not mine, not their family's but God's. He knows where all my ninas are right now. He is there for them in their time of darkness that I can't be. He is right by their side.

It's cool how God works. How his plans are so different than our own. Ten years ago I would never have still seen myself still here, in Mexico taking care off a bunch of girls. Yet here I am. I have made so many wonderful relationships over my time spent here. I have many amazing "daughters" and some of my closets friendship have been started here. I don't know what the future holds. Yes, there's still that part of me that longs to fall in love, to get married and have children. For now this is where my Heavenly Papa has me. For how long I don't know. I'll be here till he leads me elsewhere. For now I am learning to simply trust him and enjoy the life he has given me and cherish the special moments I have with my girlies.

This post is part of Week Long Blog Hop,

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 16}

2012-01-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the amazing beauty of the night sky. We have such an wonderful Heavenly Papa. It's moments like the night that I saw this moon that I feel full of praise to him.

Simple 3-in-1 Household Cleaner

2012-01-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

Do you want to rid your home of toxic cleaners? Are you done paying high prices for natural/organic cleaners that might not be as natural as they claim? Are your cabinets overflowing with too many cleaning solutions? Then here is the answer for you: white vinegar.

To read more on white vinegar and how to make your own Simple 3-in-1 Household Cleaner head over to Frugal Granola.

This post is part of Teach Me Tuesday, Frugal Ways, Sustainable Ways, Simple Lives Thursday,

52 Weeks 52 Verses- Week 3

2012-01-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:8-9

Simple Avacado Dressing/ Taco Stand Guacamole

2012-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

How ever you call it this avocado dressing/ guacamole is wonderful! It is a combination of a recipe from a former staff at our school, Kimi's recipe from her book Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and my own ideas. It is perfect to top your tacos, salad or any Mexican dish. Another great thing about it is that it stays fresh in your fridge for up to two weeks! Now that's what I'm talking about. Normally guacamole goes bad after a day or so even if you leave the pits in. The olive oil, lemon juice and onion help preserve the freshness and color. It also stretches the avocados so you don't have to spend as much money on those expensive yet delicious things! To cut the costs even more you could leave out the olive oil but I'm not certain if the purple onion and lemon alone would preserve it as long.

Simple Avocado Dressing/ Taco Stand Guacamole

Makes about 1 quart

4 large avocados (my favorite is Fuertes)
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup water
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 of a medium purple onion
Juice of two medium lemons/limes
1 tsp salt (Real or Celtic), plus more to taste

Split the avocados in half, removing the pits. Add every thing to a blender and puree until smooth. Start with 1/2 a cup of water and increase as needed or desired. For a salad dressing I prefer it a little thinner but for Mexican dishes I prefer it a little thicker.

This tastes great on:

Mexican Bakes Potatoes
Fiesta Salad
Chilequilas

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday,

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 15}

2012-01-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for the little farm down the road where I can buy veggies, eggs, raw honey, chicken, olive oil and an occasional apple pie.

Mexican Baked Potatoes

2012-01-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

I used to like baked potatoes but since I've experienced the Mexican way of dressing them up there is no way I can go back to an American potato with plain old butter, broccoli, salt and pepper. After experiencing my first Mexican baked potato I've been dreaming about when I have one again. There are some awesome little restaurants in Ensenada that just make baked potatoes and tacos. These potatoes are like a taco served on top of a potatoes. There are all sorts of combinations like chicken and pineapple, carne asada and peppers, chirizo adobado and cheese. Then you top them with salsa, pico de gallo, fresh squeezed lime juice and guacamole. Yum! This week I finally got around to making one of these amazing loaded backed potatoes. The measurements aren't exact, just pile on whatever you like. This is just how I like to make them. Believe me once you have one you won't be able to go back either.

Baked Potatoes Mexico Style

Medium Sized Russet Potato(s) (bake at 450 until soft, about 40 minutes)
Carne Asada (grass fed)
Butter (grass fed)
Salsa
Taco Stand Guacamole
Pico de Gallo

Top your potatoes with these yummy items or whatever else sounds good. Buen provecho!

Taco Stand Guacamole/Avocado Dressing recipe will be up on Thursday!

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul,

52 Weeks 52 Verses

2012-01-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

These are some of the girls that God has entrusted me to care for. What am I doing to teach them how to live for God? How am I teaching them to make their Heavenly Papa a part of everything they do?

This is post is part of 52 Weeks 52 Verses. Care to join us? Every week a group of us have committed to memorize a verse a week. Click on the link or the button on the side bar. It's a great way to be held accountable and encourage one another as we memorize God's word.

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 14}

2012-01-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the simplistic beauty of warmer winter days spent playing outside. All our kids and staff went on a hike to a meadow and played capture the flag a couple weeks ago. I was so beautiful and calm up there until all 40 of us arrived of course. :) It made for fun day!

This post is also a part of Friday's Photo Blog Hop,

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 13}

2012-01-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my family. This last week I was blessed with a visit from my mom, dad and sister. It was so wonderful to spend time with them and for them to see my girls again. It was a delightful few days spent talking, playing games and just enjoying each others company. These pictures are over a year old that were taken when I visited my family in Northern California for Thanksgiving a couple years ago.

100 Days of Thankfulness (Day 12)

2012-01-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Milagro! My youngest little girl returned "home" today after spending over three weeks with her family to see an eye doctor about a possible surgery. We are all so exicited to have her back. We are compleat again. Every girl gave her a big hug when she walked in. I know she's not mine for keeps but I savor every monent I have with her. Please be praying that she reajusts quickly. She is so excited about our new dog Abi and the chickens. Her smiles will return soon. The afternoon has been filled with laughter, tears and smiles.

Grandma's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

2012-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

This cake brings me back to my Grandma's kitchen in Missouri. Almost every year on my Dad's birthday his mom would make him her famous Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. I used to think, " Eww, mayonnaise!! That's gross! I don't like mayonnaise." That was until I tried it and was instantly won over. My Grandma would slice the cake and serve it in her Tupperware bowls. My Grandpa would pull the half and half out of the fridge and then he and Dad would pour it over their cake. This week my parents were visiting so I decided to make Dad a mayonnaise cake as a treat for his 60th birthday that was two weeks ago. I toyed around with it a bit to make it more nourishing. When I tasted it reminded me of Grandma's! Dad was excited to have his cake with a glass of whole raw milk just like he used to growing up when my grandparents had a milk cow. The next day he had some more with my homemade raw vanilla ice cream, he was in heaven! I loved being able to make my Dad some of his favorite treats with wholesome ingredients and added health benefits. I'm sure this cake would be good with my butter cream icing as well.

Grandma's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups flour (soft white wheat will give it lighter texture, similar to white flour)

2 cups raw milk

1 TBS acid medium (whey, apple cider vinegar, yogurt, kefir or kombucha)

1 cup homemade mayonnaise

1 1/2 cup succant

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 TBS vanilla extract

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (I prefer Real Salt or Celtic Salt)

1. Combine the flour, milk and acid medium in bowl. Mix until the flour is completely mixed in. Cover and leave it sit on your counter for 8 to 12 hours.

2. In a small bowl combine the mayo, succant, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add the wet mixture to the soaked dough. You may have to get both hands in the bowl and squish the dough together if it is hard. Add an additional 1/2 cup of milk to thin the batter out if necessary. Stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan. Pour in your batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Poke with a fork or tooth pick. If it comes out clean the cake is done. If bits of batter are still clinging to it bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the fork/tooth pick comes out clean.

This post is part of Week Long Blog Hop, Hearth and Soul, Fat Tuesday, Whole Food's Wendnesday,
Make Ahead Monday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

Lemon Nana Sorbet

2012-01-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

Here is another treat inspired by the foods I eat while in Israel last summer. After dinner one night I had a delicious sorbet, Lemon Nana (mint). It was so light and refreshing. The perfect way to end a meal. Soon after I got back to Mexico I made this delightful treat! It is so easy to make, you just have to eat it fast so it doesn't melt away!

Lemon Nana Sorbet

1 cup lemon juice

2 cups water

1/2 cup raw honey

40 peppermint leaves

Blend all the ingredients together until the peppermint in finely minced. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze per the instructions for your model. It should take about 20 minutes.

Note: This sorbet is best when served after it has had an hour or two to firm up in the freezer. Best eaten within one week.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Tursday,

52 Weeks 52 Verses- Week 1

2012-01-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today is the first week of 52 Weeks 52 Verses. It is a challenge to memorize a new verse every week. My first verse in actually two but since they were both so short I decided to put them together. Right now I am working on memorizing the Shema, which is Deuteronomy 6:4-5. I will be memorizing it over the next two or three weeks. Would you like to join me and many others as we encourage one another to learn more of God's word? If you do click on the button on the bottom of this page.

Western Wall in Jerusalem

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 11}

2011-12-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

{Photo Credit}

I am thankful for the blessing of quite time with my Heavenly Papa. For a few days I was distant but he always welcomes me back with open arms. Today was a morning of refreshment and renewal. What an awesome LORD we have!

Mole Tamales

2011-12-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

With it being Christmas Eve! I thought it would be fun to share with you a traditional Mexican Christmas meal, tamales. These ones were made with mole and chicken. For another version check out my Chicken Tamales with Salsa Verde.

First you need to start with a roasted chicken.

Roasted Chicken

4 to 5lb chicken (preferably pastured)
10 cloves of garlic
1/2 large onion
Cumin
Sea salt
Olive oil
4 Cup of water

1. Place your chicken into a roasting pan or dutch oven. I left the organs and the neck for added flavor.

2. Put garlic cloves under the skin of the chicken

3. Chop the onion and scatter around the bottom of the pan. Pour in water.

4. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle the cumin and salt all over the bird.

5. Cover the pan and place in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 to 3 hours. My chicken was partially frozen so it took 3 hours to cook. If your chicken is completely defrosted then you will need to cook it for a much shorter time.

6. Once the chicken has cooled a bit remove the meat and sheard. Save the bones to make a nourishing and delicous broth. Reserve the water in the bottom of the pan that is now a yummy broth for making the tamale dough.

This chicken is now ready for making tamales. You can also use the meat in salad for a yummy Mexican twist. Or just serve it as is with rice and a veggie.

Tamale Dough (Masa)

I would have liked to use an organic version of masa but I couldn't find one at the time of making the tamales. I used Maseca brand. You can find an organic masa on amazon.

6 cups Masa (corn flour, NOT corn meal)
2 tsp Sea salt
6 TBS Organic Palm Shortening
4 cups Chicken broth (reserved from roasting your chicken)
1 cup Mole

Okay now come the part where you asemble the tamales! I was taking pictures if the process but forgot to part way through. So next time I make them I will have to take some more pictures and add them in

Chicken Mole Tamales

Tamale Dough
Shreded chicken
4 cups of Mole Paste
10 to 40 green olives

1. Remove the corn husks from the bag and place them in a pot of hot water. Continue to heat on low for at least 30 minutes. You want them to be pliable.

2. Add your shreded chicken to a skillet and cover with about 4 cups.

3. If you have large olives you will want to cut them in 1/2 or in 1/4. If they are small you might just want to leave them whole. I prefer to remove the pit but you don't have too, just watch out when you bit into the tamale. Place in small bowl and set aside.

5. Now comes the fun part! Asembling the tamales! It is best to do this with a firend. My sister helped me since I am visiting her right now. Remove the soaked corn husks from the pot.

6. Pick out the husk you want to use. Normally one big one is enough. If they are small you may have to use two, overlapping a bit.

7. Spred about 2TBS of the dough across the bottom half of the husk, narrow end pointing away from you about 1/8 in thick. Going a little more than half way up, leaving a tiny bit of room on the sides.

8. Now place a small amount of chicken in the middle of the dough. I can't remember the exact amount I used.

9. Place an olive at the end.

10. Fold in one side and then the other. Fold up the bottom. If you want you can tie them closed with a small strip of husk. I don't.

11. In a large pot pour in a about two cups of water. Place as many tamales that will fit in the pot, open end facing up. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat and steam for 30 to 45 minutes.

12. Remove from the pot and enjoy!! You will know that they are done when the husk can be pulled away from the masa and not stick. I served mine with refried beans and rice. The rice recipe will soon to follow, hopefully! This recipe made almost 4 dozen tamales. They can be frozen to save for later. Simply let them defrost and steam until warm.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

Mole con Pollo

2011-12-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Mole, what a delicious food. Chicken covered in a slightly spice, chocolately goodness wrapped up in a warm tortilla or over rice. For me this dish is a celebration food, it's one of my friends, Gaby's favorite thing to eat on her birthday. I used to buy the Dona Maria brand, I loved the taste! Then one day I read the ingredients.... soy bean oil was right there at the top. I determined to make my own. So my own version of mole was born. I used Taza brand chocolate, it is a traditional Mexican stone ground, organic, fair trade chocolate. Delightful but more expensive than the Abuelaita chocolate you can find but so good, you get what you pay for. The paste makes enough for more than one meal. I used 1/2 of it to make mole tamales and froze the rest to eat later. I hope you enjoy this dish!

Mole Paste

10 dried california chilies

5 dried pabalano peppers

2 tortillas

5 oz of taza chocolate

2 cups crispy peanuts

½ cup sesame seeds

5 cups chicken/turkey broth

¼ cup butter

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the dried chilies and fry for about five minutes. Add in the sesame seeds and peanuts stirring constantly for about two minutes or until the sesame seeds are light brown. Careful they like to jump out of the pan.

In a sauce pot bring the broth to a simmer. Add the chocolate and stir until melted.

In a blender combine the chile/nut mixer and the broth and chocolate mixture. Rip of the corn tortillas and blend until smooth. If you have a regular size blender like me you may need to do this in two or three batches.

Mole con Pollo

1/2 the mole paste
4 cups of chicken/turkey broth
1/2 cone piloncillo or 1/4 cup sucanat
5 cups of shredded chicken

In a sauce pan slowly heat the mole paste and broth. Once warm add the piconcillo or sucant. Stir every couple minutes until dissolved. Add chicken and stir until covered. Serve with rice and tortillas.

This post part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

100 day of Thankfulness {Day 10}

2011-12-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for propane. It warms our water and fules our cooking stoves. We would be dirty and hungry people with out it. :) Plus if the electricity goes out we can still cook and shower!

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 9}

2011-12-17T22:34:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for all the parents that came to visit their children at our Christmas Program and Party. It was a special time for the kids to see their families since most of them don't visit very often. My prayer is that they come to know Jesus and learn more sign language to better communicate with their children.

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 8}

2011-12-16T21:45:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for my car. My poor little green car has been "sick" for a year now. It's been looked at by so many people this past year. It was finally returned to me and is running fine! :) I pray that it stays that way.

100 Day of Thankfulness {Day 7}

2011-12-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the sky. Of all the things God created one of the things that has me most in awe is the heavens. The heavens truly do declare the glory of God!!!

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 6}

2011-12-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my amazing Mama, Jan Stanley. She is such a wonderful example a woman of God. She one of my best friends. Mama is an inspiring and strong woman. When I was in high school my mama had a year long battle with breast cancer. By God's grace she is the first person in four generations in her family to have survived. Mama is the reason I am the mother I am today, she has taught me all I know. She is the one that got me started eating nourishing food and using herbs. Even though we live many miles away we are still very close. This picture was taken last year when I was visiting in Northern California for the summer on a delightful trip to Monterey.

Night of the Living Dead Christian- Book Review and Giveaway

2011-12-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

Let's just start off by saying I love books! I'm an avid reader when time allows (which isn't all that often when you are a dorm mama to 12 girls.) I love to cozy up with a good book and a hot drink especially with winter upon us.

Recently Tyndale sent me a book to review, Night of the Living Dead Christian, one man's ferociously funny quest to discover what it means to be truly transformed by Matt Mikaltos. This book is a follow up to his book, Imaginary Jesus, which I didn't realize at the time I requested this book. Now I want to go back and read that as well.

Night of the Living Dead Christian a humorous and heartbreaking tale of Matt and his werewolf neighbor, Luther as they search for a way to conquer Luther's dark side and be learn what it means to be truly transformed. They are joined by a mad scientist, an android, zombies, a vampire and a dangerous hunter. It is a poignant allegory that makes you rethink your perspective on Jesus, the church and how you live out your life.

At first I was turned off my the zombies and werewolf because I'm not in to that kind of thing but this book uses those characters to make a strong point. We all have a type monster within us that we must tackle in order to be transformed into who Christ desires for us to be. I loved the book!

Now for the giveaway!

Tyndale is offering one of my readers a chance to win their own copy of Night of the Living Dead Christian. The giveaway will be open until December 29th. The winner will be announced on the 30th and contacted sooner after.

There are six ways to enter. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Include your email so I can contact you if you win.

1. Like Mexican Wildflower on Facebook
2. Subscribe to my RSS feed or email
3. Follow Mexican Wildflower
4. Follow MexWildflower on Twitter
5. Like Night of the Living Dead Christian on Facebook
6. Subscribe to Matt's blog

If you don't win you can purcase a copy from Tyndale or Amazon.

Check out this video about Night of the Living Dead Chrstian!

watch on tyndale.com

100 Days of Thanfulness {Day 5}

2011-12-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for this home I live in that shelters us from the wind and rain. Many in this area live in homes made of scrap material or tents, yet my girls and I have a house.

8 Simple Homemade Christmas Gifts

2011-12-11T15:54:00.001-08:00

Simple homemade gifts are a great way to bless everyone on your list without breaking your budget and without consuming all of your time. You don’t think you have time? Think of all the time you will have just not going out shopping! To read the rest of this post head over to Frugal Granola.

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 4}

2011-12-11T15:51:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for wheat bags that warm us up at night when we crawl into bed and helps ease away aches and pains. I am also thankful for this smily girl, Esmeralda. She's been with me for almost two years now. What are you thankful for today?

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 3}

2011-12-10T17:26:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for the 12 "daughters" that God has entrusted me to care for in this season of my life and the 16 others that I have gotten to raise as well. My prayer is that they will grow into godly young women that follow after Jesus with all that they are and that they will make a lasting impact of the Deaf of Mexico.

100 Day of Thankfulness {Day 2}

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for special moments with my girls. Yesterday eight of us snuggled together on the couch under a warm down blanket and admired the beautiful Christmas lights.

100 Days of Thankfulness {Day 1}

2011-12-09T14:14:00.001-08:00

Amber from Homemaker by Choice has decided to take the next 100 days to focus on the things that we are most thankful for. Often we say we are thankful but are we really? We have so many blessings in our lives. Let's try and focus on those instead of everything we aren't grateful for. I'm going to try to either blog or post on Facebook about the blessings that I have in my life that I truly grateful for everyday. I hope you will join Amber, myself and some other ladies in our 100 day journey of thankfulness. There is a link up on her site that will allow us be encouraged by one another. If you are interested click on the button bellow to go to Amber's site.

What am I thankful for today?

God's incredible love for us, I want him to the source of my true joy.

Psalm 90:14

¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Simple Homemade Gifts-Peppermint Patty Hand Lotion

2011-12-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like lotion? It is perfect gift to give in the winter when our hands are constantly dry and cracked from the cold and the wind. This one smells like a peppermint patty! So good you could eat it! Well, it's edible but not advisable to try it. One of my friends did, mistaking it for frosting, lets just say you should save it for your hands... I found these cute little jars at Mountain Rose Herbs.

Peppermint Patty Lotion

3/4 cup cocoa butter
1/3 cup oil olive oil
4 TBS bee's wax pellets
1 cup distilled water
10 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops grapefruit seed extract

Melt the cocoa butter, olive oil and bee's wax in a double boiler*, stirring occasionally. Once melted set aside and let cool to room temperature. It will appear creamy and semisolid. Add the essential oil and grapefruit seed extract. Pour into a blender, turn onto the highest level creating a vortex. Slowly drizzle in the water creating a constant stream. Continue to blend until thick and light color, similar to frosting. Pour into desired jars, it will thicken as it sets.

*If you don't have a double boiler you can make a makeshift one out of a sauce pan, a glass pyrex measuring cup and a dish rag. Put a dish rag in the bottom of your sauce pot, place the glass measuring cup inside and fill the pot with water until the measuring cup in 1/2 submerged. The cloth is to keep the measuring cup from breaking.

This post is part of Week Long Blog Hop, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Teach Me Tuesdays,

Simple Homemade Gifts- Marshmallows

2011-12-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a creamy mug of hot cocoa on a cool winter day? I love to just hold a mug of it in my hands before I take a sip. For an added treat it's fun to top it off with a marshmallow. Not one of those junky ones from the grocery store made with corn syrup and dyes but from a homemade one with just a few simple ingredients. These aren't good for you and the aren't refined sugar free but they are still a lot better for you than what you would find at the grocery store and a lot cheeper than any from speciality shops. They are great for gifts or to keep around the house. This Christmas these homemade marshmallows are going to be part of my gifts for friends and family. (If you are a recipient of these sorry to spoil the surprise....) My girls and I had fun wipping these batches up this last week. Sure we ended up a bit sticky but that was part of them fun!

Peppermint Marshmallows

3 cups organic evaporated cane juice
3 TBS gelatin
1/2 TBS beet root powder (optional)
10 drop essential peppermint oil or 1TBS peppermint extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups plus 1/2 cup water

In a medium sized bowl mix the gelatin, beet root powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract/oil and 1/2 cup water. Mix well and set aside.

Combine 3 cups of sugar and water in a large pot. Bring to a slow, gentle boil. Stir occasionally so the sugar mixture doesn't boil over. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F.

Carefully our your sugar mixture into the bowl with the reserved gelatin. I recommend using a hand mixer with wire wisps to beat the marshmallow. (Word from the not so wise, don't use your bocsh mixer. It doesn't turn out pretty for the marshmallow or the bocsh. It is too large of a bowl and the marshmallow just get smeared around the bowl.) Beat on high for 10-12 minutes. The mixture will almost double in size and be nice and fluffy like a marshmallow.

If you have a friend with a hand mixer and are a bit adventurous invite them over and spilt the marshmallows recipe in half (or make a double batch) making 1/2 with beetroot powder and half with out. Gently swirl them together in the pan to give you that beautiful candy cane look.

Pour into a greased (I used coconut oil) 9 by 13 inch pan. Cover and let set. Once firm cut into 1 inch squares and remove from pan.

Marshmallow Dusting

1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix together in bowl add the marshmallows and coat with the "dusting" until no longer sticky.

Vanilla Marshmallows

Follow the directions above leaving out the beet root powder and substituting 1 TBS vanilla extract for the peppermint.

Lesly, Celeste and Milagro

This post is part of Heat and Soul, Teach Me Tuesdays,

Frugal Granola E-books Winner

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

The new winner is Va Gal! Please e-mail by Saturday the 3rd or I will have to pick some one else. You are going to love these books! As soon as I hear from you I will let Michele know so she can send you the links to download your e-books. Congratulations!!!

The winner is Betsy! Congratulations! Please send me your e-mail so Michele can send you the link to download the e-books. You're going to love these books! If I don't hear from you by Wednesday the 30th I will have to pick a new winner.

Lacto-fermented Jalapenos and Carrrots

2011-11-27T06:41:00.001-08:00

What meal in Mexico is complete without pickled jalapenos and carrots? I'm always looking for ways to get more cultured food into my diet so these were prefect because I eat so much Mexican food. I love to just put a few on my plate and add them to a taco, a bowl of beans, soup... you get the picture. What's even better is how easy they are to make!

Lacto-fermetned Jalapenos and Carrots

3 large carrots
10 large jalapenos
1 TBS salt (Real or Celtic)
Purified water
1 quart sized jar

Scrub your carrots to remove the dirt or peel. I just give them a good scrub and leave the peels on. Wash your jalapenos. Cut of the tops and ends of the carrots and thinly slice making little disks. Cut off the stems of the jalpenos and thinly slice into little disks. Add the carrots, jalpenos and salt to a quart sized jar. Cover with water and screw on li and give it a good shake. Leave on the counter for 3 to 5 days and then they are ready to eat! Warning the might be very spicy! They will keep in the fridge for several months.

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fat Tuesday,

Frgual Granola E-books Giveaway and Discount

2011-11-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

Michele of Frugal Granola is generously offering one of my readers a chance to win both of her lovely e-books! She is also offering a discount on her amazing e-books today 11/25/11 for 40% off using the code THANKFUL40. If you miss the sale today you can still buy her e-books at a 25% discount through 11/28/11 with the code THANKS25. I own both of her books, Herbal Nurturing and A Natural Noel. Herbal Nurturing is full of all sorts of wonderful herbal home remedies to heal you and your family this cold season. It also has lots of fun activities and learning opportunites to do with your children. A Natural Noel is full of ideas on how to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas. I have loved and benefited from both and I'm sure you will too! Even if you don't win you can still use the discount codes. Check out the links bellow to buy Michele's wonderful books!

Here are the ways you can enter to win Michele's books. Be sure to leave a comment for each entry. The giveaway will close at 10:00pm PST on Sunday the 27th that way you can still use the THANKS25 code to buy the e-books on Monday if you don't win. The winner will be picked by Random.org and the winner will be anounced on Monday at 6:00am PST.

1. Comment telling why you want to win the books
2. Follow Mexican Wildflower
3. Like Mexican Wildflower on Facebook
4. Like Frugal Granola on Facebook

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A Christ Centered Christmas Part 2- The Jesse Tree

2011-11-23T06:41:00.001-08:00

Last year we decided to start celebrating Advent through using the Jesse Tree. It is a wonderful way to focus the true meaning of Christmas. The idea for the Jesse Tree comes from Isaiah 11:1-2:

1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

The Jesse Tree is centered around the idea that Jesus is the "stem of Jesse", the fulfillment of the prophesy. We use a wonderful devotional called The Glorious Coming: An Advent Celebration by Ann Voskamp. You can get your own free copy from her site. Each day's reading contains a scripture, a devotional, discussion questions and paper cut out ornaments for your tree. I love how each scripture reading shows that the whole Old Testament points to Jesus coming as the Messiah. The readings start with Creation and end with the birth of Jesus. It's a beautiful picture of God's plans and promises and his fulfillment of them.

You can use Ann's print offs for your ornaments or you can make your own, which is what we did! It can be a lot of fun making your own but it does take some time. There is a devotional reading for every day of Advent, so there are over 20 ornaments that need to be made. Most of ours were made from felt, some are wooden cut outs from a craft store and others are little toys that we found. I hope to finish making them this year. Get your family involved in making the ornaments for a fun activity!

Here are some of our ornaments:

Our basket to hold them

Day 1: Jesse Tree

Day 2: Creation

Day 3: Temptation of Adam and Eve

Joseyln making some ornaments

Links for more about the Jesse Tree and Ornaments:

Passionate Homemaking: Lindsay has a wonderful post with lots of great ornament ideas
All about our Jesse Tree: Beautiful ornaments

Thanksgiving Recipes and Links

2011-11-21T19:01:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days! Here are some great nourishing items to add to your Thanksgiving Feast. Most of them are frgual and have dairy free/gluten free options. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and try out some of these great dishes!

3 Frugal Thanksgiving Tips
Prefectly Moist Turkey
Crock Pot Stuffing

Herbed Cider Pear Stuffing

Hot Roll/Cinnamon Rolls
Long Simmered Green Beans
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Pumpkin Puree
Sourdough Pumpkin (Kabocha) Spice Cake
Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free)

Pumpkin Pie Latte

Maple Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream

My Mexican Plate

2011-11-20T12:52:00.001-08:00

Today were are celebrating the Mexican Revolution. Well, we should be but we're not. It was supposed to rain so the parade was moved up to last Friday because it might rain today. So far no rain. I thought I would share some links to my favorite Mexican recipes anyway in case you want to make food to celebrate on your own.

Tacos de Carne Asada
La Hacienda's Tortilla Soup
Salsa Verde Tamales
Torta de Pollo
Chicken Fajitas
Chilequilas y Huevos Divorciados

Christ Centered Christmas- Advent 1.5

2011-11-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I shared about why we celebrate Advent so today I thought I would show you a video of our Advent celebration last year. One of my girls, Julissa was filming so it's a little bumpy at times. It also gives you a chance to to see my "daughters" and watch some Mexican Sign Language, with a little American Sign Language thrown in. Enjoy!

A Christ Centered Christmas Part 1- Advent

2011-11-17T06:48:00.001-08:00

I love the Christmas Season! Even though Jesus wasn't really born on Christmas Day, or even in the winter I still find great joy in celebrating his birth. One of my favorite traditions that I grew up with and that I have now passed on to my girls is the celebration of Advent. Advent is celebrated the four weeks leading up to Christmas. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus meaning"coming". As people celebrate Advent the are remembering Christ's First Coming and looking forward to his Second Coming. Traditionally Advent Wreaths are made from evergreens to symbolize the hope we have in God, of renewal and eternal life. The four candles on the outside symbolize waiting, during the four weeks before Christmas as well as the four centuries of waiting between the book of Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament) and the birth of Christ. The colors of the candles may vary but many use three purple and one rose candle to represent Christ's royalty. The center candle is traditionally white and is called the "Christ Candle." On the first, second and fourth Sundays the purple candles are lit. On the third Sunday the rose candle is lit. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day the white candle is lit.

There are different themes that can be taught to represent each week/ candle

A couple popular themes are:

Hope, Love, Joy and Peace
Prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherd and Angel

When the corresponding candle is lit each week a passage can be read that goes along with each theme. Every family celebrates Advent differently. Some only observe it on Sundays, other families celebrate every day. You can read passages from the Bible, sing songs, pray, read a story, gear it what fits your family. Have fun with remembering our Savior's birth and our Faithful God that brings about everything he has promised!

This psot is part of Christ-Centerd Christmas, Simple Lives Thursday,

3 Frugal Thanksgiving Tips

2011-11-16T06:38:00.001-08:00

Fall has officially started in my part of the world! It’s about time; I’ve been waiting for it. I love this time of year.

By now many of us are starting to think about our Thanksgiving preparations. One of my friends has been dreaming about the new kind of stuffing that she is going to make for almost a month now! I’d like to share with you three ways that I like to use those items you might not always think of saving for your Thanksgiving Dinner and meals later on. Head over to Frugal Granola to read the rest of the post.....

This post is part of Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days, Hearth and Soul,

Homemade Peppermint Extract

2011-11-11T22:24:00.001-08:00

Do you have an over abundance of peppermint growing in your garden? Are you looking for inexpensive gifts to give this holiday season? Do want to add a little twist to your winter treats? The answer: make your own peppermint extract. What do you need? A glass jar, peppermint leave and vodka. Yup, that's it, it can't get any simpler than that.

Peppermint Extract

1 glass jar with a lid
Fresh Peppermint Leaves
Vodka

Wash your peppermint leaves to remove all the dirt and bugs. Gently dry them with a towel. Fill your jar 3/4 of the way full with the leaves and stems. Cover with vodka and screw on lid. Shake every day for 4 to 6 weeks and your peppermint extract will be ready to use.

The finished product, not as pretty as when it started

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Fight Back Friday,

Crock Pot Stuffing

2011-11-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here is my new favorite way of making stuffing that uses the crock pot. It's perfect to free up some oven space for the turkey, rolls, green bean casserole or anything else you might be baking. To find out how to make your own dried bread cubes and two other Frugal Thanksgiving Tips read my post at Frugal Granola.

Crock Pot Stuffing

12 cups dried bread cubes
2 cups of celery, finely chopped
2 cups onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley fresh, coarsely chopped
4 cups turkey or chicken stock
6 TBS butter (4 if using fresh stock with fat in it)
11/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp thyme

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery and parsley until soft and translucent.

While that is cooking, in a large bowl combine the bread cubes and spices, mixing thoroughly. Then pour the stock and sauteed vegetables over the bread cubes and spices. Mix gently. Pour into a large crock pot and cook on high heat for about four hours. Turn down to warm until ready to serve.

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fat Tuesday,

Mock Zuppa Tuscana Soup

2011-11-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscan Soup this summer while visiting family on the east coast. I knew that I need to recreate at home. Even though it doesn't taste exactly the same it comes pretty close and really hits the spot on a cool day. It is also a great way to stretch your meat and get more nourishing chicken stock in your diet!

Zuppa Tuscan Soup

serves 6 to 8

4 quarts chicken stock

1 1/2 cups whole raw milk

4 russet potatoes, chopped

4 slices of bacon

1/4 pound of italian sausage

1/2 tsp salt

1 bunch of kale, finely minced

2 TBS butter

1 onion, finely minced

5 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp black pepper

Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook your italian sausage in a soup pot over medium heat until completely cooked and crumbly. Remove and set aside. Fry the bacon in the soup pot until almost crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside leaving the grease in the pot.

2. Add the onions and garlic to the soup pot and cook until soft stirring occasionally. While the onions and garlic and cooking chop the bacon into tiny pieces.

3. Pour in the chicken stock an add the potatoes. Put the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just almost soft.

4. Add the kale and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft.

5. Pour in the milk stirring slowly. Add the italian sausage, salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and then turn off the heat. Serve into individual bowls, garnish with the bacon crumbles and grated parmaesan cheese.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Sunday Soup Night, Teach Me Tuesday,

Pumpkin Pie Latte

2011-11-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to warm up in the cool fall weather? Then this Pumpkin Pie Latte is for you! So simple and good for you too! Plus is way cheeper than Starbucks, who doesn't even use real pumpkin, they use a syrup. No thank you! This latte takes only minutes to make plus you don't even have to leave the house! It is perfect drink all by itself or with a piece of Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cake. If you have a few minutes, treat yourself to this seasonal latte and good book!

Pumpkin Pie Latte

serves 2

3 cups raw milk

1/2 cup very strong coffee

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

4 TBS Maple Syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

Blend all the ingredients together. Pour into a small sauce pan and warm over low heat, stirring constantly. Be sure not to let the latte's temperature raise above 110 degrees F. Otherwise the good bacteria in the raw milk will be destroyed. I'm sure this would be delightful with coconut milk as well.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fat Tuesday,

Biscuits and Gravy

2011-10-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yum, one of my favorite guilty pleasures is biscuits and gravy. Yup this Midwestern born girl has a hard time giving up her roots. What can I say you can take a girl out of the Midwest but you can't take the Midwest out of a girl. This was one of my favorite breakfast growing up. My mom made this whole wheat biscuits and veggie soy sausage. I loved her's and thought that was how it was supposed to taste. I would always be disappointed every time I ate it at my Grandma's house or at a restaurant. My body just couldn't handle the white flour and greasy nitrate ladened sausage. Now that I don't eat soy I've started making my own breakfast sausage. While my version is slightly modified from my mom's version or your traditional one you'll find in your grandma's kitchen I love it all the same.

Biscuits and Gravy

Serves 6-8 people

Breakfast Sausage

1-lb ground chicken, turkey or beef
2 TBS butter, lard or tallow
1 TBS maple syrup
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 TBS sage

In a bowl mix the ground meat, salt, pepper, sage and maple syrup. Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. When it is hot add the gease and melt. Be sure the entire surface of the skillet is covered with the grease. Add the sausage and stir until crumbly and completely cooked.

Sausage Gravy

1 pound breakfast sausage

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 tsp salt (Real or Celtic)

3 tsp black pepper

8 cups raw milk

Cover the sausage with the flour, salt and black pepper, cook over medium heat. Stir until the sausage is completely coated and the flour is slightly browned. Turn the heat down to low. Slowly pour in the milk.Gently whisk the milk into the flour and continue to stir until the gravy thickens. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over biscuits, this delicious with my soaked rye biscuit or my sourdough biscuits.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Hearth and Soul,

Book Review- Muscular Faith

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Muscular Faith: How to Strengthen Your Heart, Soul and Mind for the Only Challenge That Matters

Tyndale House Publishers

softcover, 261 pages

Written by Ben Patterson, campus pastor at Westmont College is Santa Barbara, California. He is a contributing writer the Leadership Journal and Christianity today. He has also written several books including God's Prayer Book and He Has Made Me Glad.

Muscular Faith is divided into four parts:

Part 1: The Call to a Vigorous Faith
Part 2: The Case for a Vigorous Faith
Part 3: The Obstacles
Part 4: The Essentials

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book are:

We are not born again by good works; we born again for good works.

No matter how detestable our present circumstances are, they are not the final word. They will pass away, but our hope, our eternal destiny, is unshakable.

You can buy it here for just $11.24 from Amazon.

(I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their blogging program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.")

Breakfast Pudding

2011-10-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of oatmeal meal? Feel like you need some more protein to start your morning? Need an energy boost? Want a simple meal that takes almost no time to prepare? Then this Breakfast Pudding is for you. This is a quick breakfast option that I like to make. Each cup of cooked quinoa has at least 8 grams of protein. Chia seeds help the body assimilate and use calcium. The nutrients in chia seeds support proper brain function. Chia seeds help you stay hydrated longer and aid your body fluids in retaining electrolytes longer. They also increases your energy. That is just a bit about what the amazingness of chai seeds. When you combined quinoa and chai together they make a power house of a breakfast to start your day.

Breakfast Pudding

serves 4

1/2 cup quinoa

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups warm water

4 cups water

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 cup of whole fat coconut milk

2 TBS vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup to raw honey

1 cup fruit

Cover quinoa with the warm water and apple cider vinegar. Let soak for 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Your quinoa will have started to sprout.

The night before strain and rinse the quinoa for 5 minutes to reduce the bitterness. Put the quinoa in a crock pot. Add the chia seeds and 4 cups of water. Cook on high for 1 hour. Then reduce the heat to low. Allow to cook over night.

The next morning when you are ready to eat turn off the crock pot. Stir in the vanilla extract and maple syrup/raw honey. Serve into bowls top with coconut milk and fruit. I used cherries that I canned this summer. Any type of fruit, fresh, frozen or canned will work.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Healthy2Day, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Hearth and Soul,

Massam Curry

2011-10-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is a great dish that you can make in your crock pot for those days when you don't have much time. You can throw it together in the morning and not worry about it until evening. It is also a great way to stretch your chicken. I had this curry at a Thai restaurant this summer and knew that I needed to recreate it. Off I went to the Asian market near my parent's house to stock up on curry paste to get me through the year. I went a little crazy and bought five different kinds. What can I say, I love curry... Someday I would like to make my own paste but since it's hard for me to find all the ingredients I need I just content myself with the paste. For now... Palm sugar can be found at Asian markets in paste or block form

Massam Curry

Makes 4-5 servings

2 potatoes, peeled if desired
1 medium onion
2 large carrots
2 chicken boneless skinless thighs
1/2 cup chopped crispy peanuts
4 TBS Massam Curry Paste
2 TBS palm sugar
1 Avocado

Cut your potatoes, onion, carrots and chicken into bit sized chunks. Put in a crock pot. Add the coconut milk, peanuts, curry paste and palm sugar. Stir and cook on low for eight hours. When the curry is done pour over plain brown rice. Cut the avocado into small pieces and put on the top of each bowl.

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

Hearth and Soul,

Sourdough Pumkpin (Kabocha) Spice Cake

2011-10-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing my recipe for my Sourdough Pumpkin (Kabocha) Spice Cake today at Frugal Granola. I am very excited to be the newest Contributing Writer over there! Each month you will be seeing me there sharing about Natural/Sustainable Living. Head over today read my recipe and the different ways to use autumn squashes.

This post is part of Healthy 2day Wenesdays, Three Week Blog Hop,

Chocolate Mousse

2011-10-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have to credit my little sister Emily for the idea behind this recipe. I was visiting my parents last summer and she served us a mousse so delightful that I had to make myself some. It is a quick and easy desert that gives a flare of elegance. So simple, yet so delicious! It only has four ingredients minus any optional garnishes; heavy cream, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract. If possible it is better to use raw ingredients to make this for the added benefit of better digestion, essential vitamins and beneficial bacteria. I would have loved to use raw cream to make this but sadly that is not in my budget. I just use organic non homogenized, pasteurized heavy cream, not ideal but a little better. I don't have any raw cocoa powder either but I do have amazing local raw honey!

Chocolate Mousse

1 pint heavy cream

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 TBS honey

1 TBS vanilla extract

Whip all the ingredients together with a hand mixer until fluffy. Scoop into little dishes or use a bag and pipe into the dishes. Garnish with desired mint leaves or fruit.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Hearth and Soul,

Pumpkin & Kabocha Puree

2011-10-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of going to Whole Foods when my friend and I went up to the States to pick one of our other friends from the airport. I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I'm there. I don't buy a lot of things at Whole Foods but I do get some of my meat, that I can't find anywhere else. Really for grass fed beef their prices are almost the same as Trader Joe's organic beef which isn't grass fed. Plus right now they have cultured pastured organic butter for a limited time. I stocked up to save it for a good portion of the rest of the year. I just make my meat and butter last for as long as I can, supplementing with legumes and grains that I buy in bulk from Azure Standard, locally grown veggies and eggs from my chickens. Anyway... to my delight Whole Foods had these gorgeous squash since I didn't grow any this year! The green and yellow one is a heirloom pumpkin (I can't remember it's name) and the other is an orange kabocha squash. The kabocha ended up being a way better deal than the pumpkin. Not only was it less than half the price, it also weighed a little more, was denser and made twice the amount of puree than the pumpkin did. My pumpkin's puree was thin, while the kabocha's puree was very thick. I'm drying the seeds from both to plant next year so that I don't spend too much on a pumpkin again which by the way I found that same heirloom pumpkin at a farm down the road for less than two dollars where as I spent over nine for the one from Whole Foods. There are reasons I don't do most of my shopping there, that and the fact that it is almost a three hour drive to the closest one...

Like I said I made puree from both and would like to show you today how you can do it too. Hopefully I learned the lesson for you and you will just use a kabocha and forget about the pumpkin. Either that or find a better, cheeper pumpkin. Let me know if you do. We live and learn. From now on I'm growing my own.

Kabocha or Pumpkin Puree

My squash were both about 5 pounds. So keep that in mind when you are making your own puree.

Cut your squash in half.

The Heirloom Pumpkin

The Orange Kabocha

Notice much dense and meaty the kabocha is?!

Use a spoon to scrape out all the seeds.

Heirloom Pumpkin

Orange Kabocha

Save the seeds and rinse under cool water. You might have to rub them in your hands to get off all stringy membrane. Pat them dry and place the seeds on a cookie sheet. Now you have the option to roast them for a fun fall snack or dry them for planting next year. I chose to save them for planting. I've read that the seeds need to air dry for three weeks before saving them to plant to ensure that all the moister in gone. I still need to do some more reading on the best way to save seeds.

Heirloom Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut your squash into at least eight pieces and place face down on a cookie sheet, add a little water to the sheet so that the squash doesn't stick. If you want part way through the baking time you can flip them over. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Once the squash is soft remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Scrape the now soft squash into a blender or food processor. If necessary add a little water, less than a 1/4 of a cup at a time. This shouldn't be necessary if your squash is cooked throughly. Blend until smooth.

Heirloom Pumpkin Puree

Orange Kabocha Puree

The heirloom pumpkin made four cups of puree. The orange kabocha made 8 1/2 cups of puree. Now you can see why I prefer the kabocha.

There are so many ways to use pumpkin/kabocha purees, think pumpkin pie, scones, lattes, cake... the list can go on. How do you like to use pumpkin/kabocha purees?

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Week Long Blog Hop, Fat Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday,

Herb Lesson #7- Catnip

2011-10-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Catnip is a member of the Mint family. It is a hardyperennial that grows in any garden soil and requires less moisture than mostother Mints. Making it a great herb for the new or busy gardener. Just be sure to keep your cats awayfrom it! They’ll might distroy thepalnt. I’ve read that if you plant a seedling the cats will find it but if yousow it from seed the cats won’t notice it.

Catnip can be used for a verity of maladies. With coldseason just around the corner it is a good idea to keep some catnip around,from your own plant or dried. It is used for anxiety and nerves, bronchitis,colds, flu, colic, diarrhea, gas/bloating, headaches, insomnia, indigestion,stomach aches, menstrual cramps, morning sickness, toothaches, teething andsore eyes.

Whenever there’s a fever or cold in our household catnip isone of the first herbs to come out. I use it in combination with elderflowers, echinacea and peppermint tomake a tea for my girls especially the younger ones when they have a fever.Catnip is also an herb in my cough syrup, sleep tincture and immune boostingtincture (all of which I plan to share the fall/winter).

Jethro Kloss, in “Back to Eden” wrote, “If every mother hadcatnip herb on her shelf, it would save her many a sleepless night and herchild much suffering.

Catnip’s taste is unpleasant but it does do wonders if youare your child is have a sleepless night. A cup of catnip tea mix combined withchamomile or lemon balm, herbs that are soothing and much more pleasant tastingshould do a good job at helping you sleep. If you baby is teething or your kidsare getting anew tooth in catnip tea or tincture with help relieve the pain.

What are some ways you like you use catnip?

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday,

Mexican Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes

2011-10-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Mexican hot chocolate is a favorite treat around here, as is a delicious cake so what's better than combing them? Sourdough cupcakes! In Mexico it's hard to find a candy that doesn't have chili in it. My lovely taste testers also known as my oldest girls liked this twist on chocolate cupcakes. They advised me on each batch as they came out of the toaster oven, telling me if they needed more a "kick". The last batch was the winner. This recipe makes great cupcakes or cake. Frosted or plain both are delicious. (Frosting recipe to come soon.)

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

makes 16 cupcakes or one 9 by 13 cake

1 cup starter

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sucant

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup full fat coconut milk

2 TBS vanilla

4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

Mix your starter, flour and coconut milk together in a bowl until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let is sit for at least 8 hours or up to 24.

Preheat at 350 F. Grease your muffin tins or cake pan.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs, coconut oil, suacant, vanilla and spices together. Add sourdough mixer, salt and baking soda. Beat until smooth.

Pour into the prepared tins/pan. For the cupcakes bake 15 to 20 minutes. For a cake bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the toothpick/fork comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the tins to cool. Frost when cool.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday, Homemaker By Choice, Simple Lives Thursday, Fat Tuesday,

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Flour Muffins

2011-10-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Every gal needs some chocolate in her life so I made these for my gluten free friends at Bible Study that way they could enjoy the snacks too. You would never guess that they are gluten free. I bet these would be amazing with chocolate icing but I loved them just how they where. I'm thinking about making these for my Tea with my younger girls and their friends this Sunday, so I'll probably make a icing for them then.

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Flour Muffins

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sucant or 1/4 cup of honey

1/2 cup whole fat coconut milk

3 eggs, pastured

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 TBS vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup cherries, quartered (frozen, fresh or canned)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until throughly mixed. If the batter is too dry add a couple table spoons of coconut milk at a time until it is wet.The batter will be thick but you don't want it dry. Coconut flour absorbs liquid like a sponge so you want to be sure to add sufficient liquid. Gently fold in the cherries. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease your muffin tin with coconut oil or use muffin papers. Spoon the batter into the tin 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. You will know that the muffins are done when you poke the center of a muffin with a tooth pick or fork and it comes out clean.

Do you like my little friend that thought the muffin looked good?

This post is part of Hearth and Soul, Fat Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday,

I'm Joining October #Unprocessed

2011-09-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

#Unprocessed was started by Andrew Wilder of Eating Rules. I been seeing it on facebook and various blogs for the past few days now.

It is a challenge to eat no unprocessed food for the entire month of October. You can do join the challenge for a day, a week or for the month. I'm pledged for the month.

At first I thought no, problem. I eat a real, whole food traditional diet most of the time. I make almost everything from scratch, even grow, raise and preserve some of it. That shouldn't be too hard. Or so I thought....

There are the times when I've been, too busy to make something and I just eat whatever the students are eating. Sadly we have a lot of processed food at our boarding school. It's not good for anyone's health. When it's my turn to cook I try my best to avoid all processed foods if possible. When it comes to my own personal eating I am going to have to make more of an effort to plan ahead and utilize my crock pot more.

I don't adhere to the real traditional foods diet as much as some. If I'm over at a friend's house or out to lunch or if it's just been one of those days where I didn't have time to cook my own food I try and not worry about it. Later in the day I will normally chase it down with some kombucha or lacto-ferments to make my digestive system happy.

What defines processed?

Andrew has come up with the "kitchen test"

I call it “The Kitchen Test.” If you pick up something with a label (and if it doesn’t have a label, it’s probably unprocessed), and find an ingredient you’d never use in your kitchen and couldn’t possibly make yourself from the whole form, it’s processed.

It doesn’t mean you actually have to make it yourself, it just means that for it to be considered “unprocessed” that you could, in theory, do so.

For a more in depth explanation of read Defining "Unprocessed", Round Two.

I am really looking forward to this challenge. It will be an encouragement for me to stick to what I know is right for my body. Recently I am really noticing a change in my body. In the past when I went a day or two not eating right it didn't effect me too much. Now when I go more than a meal or two my body reacts and lets me know it doesn't like what I'm putting in it. So this challenge is perfect timing for me.

I hope you will join me and over 1,000 others in the October #Unprocessed Challenge.

Learning Math Through Baking

2011-09-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

Celeste, with her first loaf of bread

Head over to Homemaker By Choice today to read my post on Learing Math Through Baking. Then take some time to check out her wonderful site. Amber and her husband live in Norway, they just had a baby girl Anya Mae who was born the end of July. I love her middle name it happens to be the same as mine, Katie Mae!

Zo&Co Product Review

2011-09-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Kid's TravelTote

My Aunt Diane and cousin Stacy recently started a new business called Zo&Co. An amazing company that makes TravelTotes for use in planes, cars, trains, and buses. They come in three styles, Original TravelTote, Kids TravelTote and Tech TravelTote. The totes are cleverly designed with 4 to 6 pockets and slide on and off the seat back keeping everything you would want for your trip in reach. When your trip is over fold the TravelTote up and store in your carry-on. The TravelTote was born after Stacy went on a plane trip with her newborn Zoe and realized that every thing she needed was in the bag under her seat and out of her reach. Diane made the first TravelTote for Stacy and the rest is history. I remember loving Stacy's TravelTote last year when I first saw it. Now the TravelTote is available to everyone. I hope you all go and check out their wonderful site, you won't be sorry.

Original TravelTote

Back of Original TravelTote

Tech TravelTote

Note I did not receive a TravelTote in exchange for this review. I simply love my family and want to promote their amazing new product. With the hope that it will ease simplify your travel.

Strawberry Chocolate Delight

2011-09-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Would you guess that his chocolaty drink is packed full of nutrients and vitamins? I'm always looking for new ways to get lots of vitamins and probotics in my body and this one is definitely a winner. It's one of my favorite ways to use coconut milk kefir. It contains four simple ingredients. Coconut milk kefir, which is loaded with good for you probiotics, as well as being antibacterial and anti-fungal. Organic strawberries with the tops, strawberries are packed with vitamin C but the tops contain more than the rest of the berry. Raw honey, is full of live enzymes, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Cocoa powder has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food yet tested including red wine, blueberries, green and black tea. It has four time more the amount of antioxidants than green tea. Combine all these together and you have a power house of a smoothie!

Chocolate Strawberry Delight

2 cups coconut milk kefir

1/2 cup strawberries with tops

2 TBS cocoa powder

1 TBS raw honey

Blend together, pour into a mason glass jar and drink up!

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

Glass Darma Straw Review

2011-09-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Glass Dharma sent me a beautiful set of glass straws to review. I love eco-friendly products because I think it is important to waste as little as possible. I want to be a good steward of God’s creation. Every day so many straws as served with meals at restaurants and used in homes, the majority of them end up in landfills. Using these straws is a simple way to do your part in protecting our beautiful gift from God. These straws add a simplistic beauty to any drink ranging from water to smoothies, kombucha to bubble tea. Head over to Virtuous Girlhood to read more about this amazing product.

Coconut Chai Muffins

2011-09-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

Soon the weather will be turning cooler and the leaves will be changing color, falling to the ground for kids to rake up into piles and jump in only to have to rake them all over again. I love this time of year! It makes me want to whip up some batches of spice muffins, pumpkin pie, hearty soups and bread. Fall is just around the corner, at least in some parts of the world….for me it's still swimming weather. My girls are enjoying spending part of the afternoons by the pool and getting relief from the heat. Even still I wanted to make yummy fall time treat. The coconut flour in these muffins make then so moist and delicious! The chai adds that perfect touch of spice that would go great with a cup of creamy pumpkin pie tea.

Coconut Chai Muffins

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 cup whole fat coconut milk

3 eggs (preferably pastured), beaten

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground chai spices

3/4 cup sucant

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until throughly mixed. If the batter is too dry add a couple table spoons of coconut milk at a time until it is wet. The batter will be thick but you don't want it dry. Coconut flour absorbs liquid like a sponge so you want to be sure to add sufficient liquid. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease your muffin tin with coconut oil or use muffin papers. Spoon the batter into the tin 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. You will know that the muffins are done when you poke the center of a muffin with a tooth pick or fork and it comes out clean.

Some "Fall Time" Fun

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday, Wild Weekend, Hearth and Soul, Allergy-Friendly Lunch Box, Simple Lives Thursday,

Make Your Own Yogurt

2011-09-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Homemade yogurt is so simple to make and a great way to add beneficial bacteria to pasteurized milk. While I prefer to consume raw milk it isn't always available. Yogurt makes pasteurized milk full of good bacterias again. I started making yogurt this past year when one of my girls had a recurring yeast infection. I took her off of all sugars including fruit, white flour and limited her soaked grain consumption. I added this yogurt and probiotic pills. She was completely healed and has yet to have another yeast infection in the past five months! I love that God has given us real foods and herbs to heal our bodies. Because she really didn't care for the taste of the plain yogurt I added a pinch of stevia and 1/2 tsp of vanilla to every cup of yogurt.

Homemade Yogurt

2 quarts whole milk

4 TBS whole fat yogurt

4 1- quart glass jars

Candy Thermometer

Large stock pot

Small kitchen towel

4 additional kitchen towels

1. Fill very clean jars with the whole milk. Place a towel in the bottom of the sauce pot. Put both jars of milk in the pot on top of the towel, this is to prevent the jars from cracking when heated the heat. Add water to the pot until the water comes 3/4 of the way up the jars.

2. Clip the candy thermometer onto the side of the pot so that the tip is submerged in the water. Bring the water to a boil. Remove the candy thermometer from the water and clip to the side of one of the jars. Continue to boil until the milk reaches 185 degrees F. Remove the jars of milk from the water and allow to cool to 110 degrees F.

3. While the milk is cooling remove the water and towel from the pot. Fill the to remaining jars with boiling water. Place them in the pot. Once the milk has cooled (this normaly takes at least an hour) to 110 degrees F stir in 2 TBS of whole fat or greek yogurt into each jar. Screw on the lids and place in the same pot as the jars with the boiling water. Place the lid on the stock pot and cover with 4 kitchen towels to keep the heat in the pot. You want to keep the milk/yogurt at a consistent 110 degrees F until firm which takes from 4 to 24 hours. Change the water in the jars as needed. Keep the pot in the warmest location in the house as long as it does not raise temperature of the milk/yogurt above 110 degrees F. You will know that the yogurt is ready when it is slightly firm. The yogurt will keep in the fridge for about one month.

Ways to enjoy your yogurt:

Drizzled with raw honey and a little vanilla

With fresh or frozen berries

In smoothies

As frozen yogurt (recipe to come soon)

This post is part of Monday Mania, Hearth and Soul, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thrusday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways,

Four Bathroom Essentials

2011-09-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Bathrooms are easily over crowded with endless beautysupplies and toiletries. If they are organic then you find yourself spending afortune. If they are not then there is the strong likely hood that they arefilled with harmful toxins and chemicals. I prefer to keep my bathroom asimplistic and natural as possible. How do I do this? By using four ingredientsthat many of us already have around the house that are fairly easy to obtainthat can be used to make almost any product you could want. What are these four bathroomessentials? Castile Soap, Coconut Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda.With these four ingredients you can replace shampoo, conditioner, facial astringent,body wash, hand soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, body lotion and moisturizer. I buy all four bathroom essentail from Azure Standard a great co-op with wonderful prices.

Castile Soap

I love this soap! It is so multipurpose. I have used inshampoo, in tootpaste, as a hand soap, face wash and body wash. Castile soap is wonderful to combinewith an herbal infusion as a frugal shampoo. If you have dry and or curly hairyou will love this shampoo. It moisturizes your hair and adds a bounce to yourcurls. As a person with straight, thin and oily hair it didn’t work that well. Itactually made my hair greasier but I have friends that use it all the timeand love it.

I use a couple drops ofcastile soap on a washcloth or luffa as a body wash. I use just a drop of it as a facewash. I was given an old foaming hand soap pump from a friend, I fill it with 1 part castile soap and 3 parts water for frugal hand soap.

I also use castile soap in a combinationwith coconut oil, baking soda, essential oils in my toothpaste.

Coconut Oil

I can almost ask myself, what don’t I use coconut oil for? Ilove this oil! It is so good for you! Coconut oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial. You can read my post about the benefits of coconut oil here. I use coconut oil as it is inreplacement of shaving cream, facial moisturizer, lotion and makeup remover. Ijust keep a little jar of it on a self in my bathroom. Right there you canreplace 4 different containers with one! Coconut oil is also the mainingredient in my toothpaste and deoderant.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has so many health benefits for your bodyinternally but it is also amazing for your body externally. I use it inreplacement of conditioner, a bottle of organic conditioner used to cost mearound $10 a bottle now I spend mere pennies on an raw apple cider vinegar hairrinse. ACV helps remove the buildup in your hair that is the result using hair products. I mix 1/3 cup of ACVwith one quart of water in a spray bottle and keep it in the shower. I spray it on before I soapup and then rinse it out after a couple minutes. The result is clean and soft hair, more soft thanwhen using conditioner. You canalso infuse the water with differentherbs to enhance the color of and strengthen your hair. I have yet to dothat but I a friend that does and has enjoyed the results. Or you can add a few table spoons to my shampoo. When I have blemishes I use a tincturemade with plantain and ACV as a facial astringent. It does wonders to clear upyour skin, leaving your face looking fresh and clean.

Baking Soda

Baking soda can be used as a replacment for shampoo, in deodorant and intoothpaste. I’ve heard of many people how have successfully switched fromwashing their hair with shampoo to washing it with a combination of baking sodaand water. Stephanie a Keeper of the Home has a wonderful video about the no-poo method as it is called. My friend Serafina has foundgoing no-poo to work really well for her. As has my friend Britt who hasbraids/dreds. I on the other hand didn’t have the patience or the will power to go throughwith it. My hair tends to be very greasy and with the no-poo method, it cantake up to six months for your body to adjust to going no-poo. It is such a natural and frugal option that Ireally should give it a try again, we shall see… I love the idea of just mixinga couple things from your kitchen having your own hair wash!

What are frugal and simple personal care products do you like to use?

This post is part of Wild Wednsday, Simple Lives Thursday, Week Long Blog Hop, Teach Me Tuesday, Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days,

Tahini and Honey Ice Cream

2011-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

While I was in Israel this summer we stopped at Aroma Coffee, Israel's version of Starbucks. As I was leaving I saw an advertisement for tanhini and honey ice cream and my mouth started to water. I almost bought some but had already purchased a cup of tea. I comforted myself with the fact that I would create my own when I got back home, that was nourishing and cheeper too. From my experience all restaurants, coffee shops and ice cream shops are so over priced in Israel. Maybe it was just the exchange rate but I was floored at the outrageous prices!

Frothy Raw Chocolate Milk

2011-09-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

The past couple years I have been buying raw whole milk from a cheap local source when availble and occationaly from the store when I go to the states. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it in the summer time is as a frothy chocolate milk! So yummy, cool and refreshing! I make mine with local raw honey for an added health boost and to help with my alergies.

1 pint (about two cups) raw milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 TBS raw honey

1 pinch of Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour all the ingredients into your blender and blend until the cocoa powder has been mixed in. With my cheap Oster blender it took two minutes but I'm sure that a Blendtec or Vitamix could do it in less than a mintue. Makes one large serving (just over one pint) or two small 1/2 pint servings. Serve in glass canning jars becasue, it's fun and looks neat!

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Simple Lives Thursday

Milk Kefir

2011-09-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to share another live cultured food that I've been making for the past couple years (sorry that the picture isn't very pretty), milk kefir. It is similar in taste and consistency to drinkable yogurt, but a bit stronger flavor and has different bacterial strains. It is made with kefir grains that are added to milk and contain healthy yeast and beneficial bacteria in a symbiotic relationship. The grains resemble little clumps of cauliflower. Over time they multiply and you can make larger batches of milk kefir or give them away to friends. (My milk kefir grains have multiplied but not nearly as much as my water kefir ones have.) This probiotic drink help digestion and over all gut health. I make my with whole raw milk or full fat coconut milk. I prefer the coconut milk because I am still working my way into eating more raw dairy. I stopped eating it when I was a toddler and lost the taste for it so it's slow and coming process learning to eat it again. For now I eat more coconut milk kefir and use the dairy in place of buttermilk in baking or in ice cream. If you chose to use coconut milk you will need to return them to dairy milk occasionally to revive them. Milk kefir whatever kind you make is great for eating on it's own, with fruit, in smoothies, for making ice cream, in curries, on top of oatmeal or in baking. I bought my grains from Cultures for Health but you can find them from individuals online as well.

Here is what Cultures for Health has to share about Milk Kefir:

Milk Kefir Highlights:

Traditional heirloom-style kefir culture (aka "grains" due to appearance); not a powdered starter culture
Reusable culture; makes a new batch of kefir every 18-48 hours
With proper care, the culture can be used indefinitely to create delicious probiotic rich kefir
Cultures on the counter at 67-80°F, no heating appliance required
Can be used with cow milk, goat milk and coconut milk (see instructions)

Milk Kefir

1 quart whole raw milk or two cans of full fat coconut milk

2-3 TBS dairy kefir grains

1 quart glass jar

cloth

rubber band or twine

Pour your choice of milk in clean glass jar. Add two TBS or milk kefir grains to the jar. Cover with a cloth and secure with the rubber band or twine and let culture for 12 or more hours. You will know that is done when it thickens and smells and tastes a bit tangy. Strain through a plastic colander and store in a covered glass quart jar in the fridge.

Keep in mind that if you have other things culturing like, kombucha or sourdough keep a distance of several feet between each jar, as over time the cultures will cross contaminate and weaken.

Here are a couple videos you can watch to on how to make coconut milk kefir:

Lindsay@ Passionate Homemaking

Stephanie@ Keeper of the Home

For great cultured milk ice cream recipes check out my friend Mare's new E-book, Just Making Ice Cream, purchasing it will help support their ministry in Honduras, the suggested donation is $12. A steal in my opinion, she shared over 70 recipes, some are cultured, others aren't. I've tried many of the recipes and haven't found one that I didn't like. All contain real food ingredients.

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Thursday, Week Long Blog Hop

Explosion in the Dorm

2011-09-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Girls' Room

It's the weekend before school starts and the girls are slowly trikling in. As you can see we have an explostion in the dorm as they move in and put their things away. So far only four girls have arrived but by the end of next week I may have fifteen! We're still waiting to hear back from a couple of them, they might just show up. We shall see... I am excitied for the school year to begin and to have my girls back!

The Living Room ("Kitchen" and My Room)

Yahaira

Karen

Peanut Butter Blosoms- Sheley's Day

2011-09-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

I love having special one on one times with my girls. Every time is a little different. We have a special lunch of their choice and then we do whatever they want. Sometimes we make cookies, take a walk to pick oranges, take a hike, play a game…. This tme when one of my eleven year olds, Sheley had her day we made cookies, peanut butter blossoms (and some chocolate mousse too). A simple, yummy protein filled cookie. It has five ingridients, peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and dark chocolate.

Peanut Butter Bloosom Cookies

1-16 oz peanut butter

3/4 cup succant

2 pastured eggs
1 TBS vanilla extract

1 bar dark chocolate, chopped into small squares (Green and Black's or Trader Joe's make good chocolates) or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix the peanut butter, succant, eggs and vanilla together. Roll into small 1/2 inch balls. Place on a baking sheet, three across. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. While it is baking chop your dark chocolate. When I use Green and Black's I just use the small retangle pieces as they are. For Trader Joe's I cut eat rectangle in fourths. When I'm using chocolate chips I use 3 or 4 per cookie. Remove the cookies from the oven and place a piece of dark chocolate on each cookie. Let cool and enjoy! Or eat while still hot for a gooey mess.

This post is part of Hearth and Soul, Week Long Blog Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2011-08-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of making your own vanilla exttract? I would never have guessed how easy it is! All you need is two ingredients, vanilla beans and alcohol. Yup, that's it. Who would have thought it could be as simple as that? Last Christmas I gave little bottles of vanilla to some of my family and friends as gifts. I love simple homemade gifts. This has got to be the easiest gift I have ever made.

What's even better is that this vanilla is perpetual. When your vanilla starts to get a little low, add more alchohol and it will continue to extract vanilla from the bean. Whenever you are using a vanilla bean in your cooking clean it up and throw whatever you don't use in your vanilla extract. Ever so often, maybe once or twice a year add a new bean and take out any that seem to be soggy.

I buy my vanilla beans and glass jars from Mountain Rose Herbs. You can purcase them through the link on the sidebar.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

1-750 ml bottle vodka, rum or bourbon

6 vanilla beans

1 quart glass jar

Cut your vanilla beans lenth wise with sissors and then into two pieces. Put the vanilla beans in a glass jar cover with the alcohol and secure the lid. Leave it in a dark place for two months, shaking ocattionaly. Over time the vanilla will become darker and the flavor stronger. You can also fill six 4 oz bottles and tie them with a ribbon and note explaining that the recipient can add more alchohol once the jar is half full.

So go out get yourself some booze and buy some vanilla beans. You'll be so glad you did!

On the left -Bourbon On the right-Vodka

This post is part of The Week Long Blog Hop, Hearth and Soul, Simple Lives Thursday, Teach me Tuesday, Homemade Christmas Gifts Carnaval, Pennywise Platter Thursday,

Preserving the Harvest- Farmer's Market Finds

2011-08-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of summer is the abundance of produce! Growing up in the Central Valley I was blessed to enjoy a verity of delicious fruits and vegetables every year. I love visiting my parents in the summer because I get to eat so many delicious fruits! With gardens growing in abundance now is the time to start thinking about preserving our excess of fruits and vegetables for the months to come when we won’t have them available. Preserving your own harvest is a great way to save money so that you don’t have to go out to the store to buy as many things.

My parent’s town has a farmer’s market every Thursday night from June through the middle of September. One couple has an amazing organic fruit stand. They sell plums, nectarines, peaches, apricots and cherries of all verities. A few weeks ago they let me buy their seconds or bruised fruit for about 50 cents a pound! What a steal! I bought about 40 pounds. Over half the fruit I bought only had a couple burses. Buying seconds is a great way to save money when looking for organic fruits. They are perfect for cutting up and freezing for later, canning and making sauces, pies and cobblers or smoothies. Because I have no way to get bags of frozen fruit to Mexico from my parent’s house I canned several jars of peach sauce, plum sauce, nectarine sauce, pitted cherries and Chinese plum sauce. It is wonderful to know that I will be able to enjoy these fruits through out the rest of the year. Next week when I get back to Mexico I am planning on canning tomato and spaghetti sauces with tomatoes from my garden that have being watered by an automatic drip system while I have been gone. How are you preserving your harvest or supper market finds this year?

Madre Labs Personal Care Products Giveaway

2011-08-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

When I was asked if I’d like to review Madre Labs’ personal care products I eagerly agreed. I fully expected to receive a few sample-sized products so you can imagine my surprise when I received a box of full sized ones instead! Madre Labs personal care products include shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body wash. Their trademarked label is “NO no-no’s”, which means no sulfates, parabens, dyes, animal testing or animal ingredients. They are pH balanced, use eco-friendly packaging, are made in the USA and made with biodegradable ingredients. If you would like a chance to win the same products that I reviewed head over to Virtuous Girlhood to enter in their giveaway. The giveaway closes September 1st, be sure to enter for a chance to win these amazing products!