Got your attention, didn't I?    Well, this is a yummy recipe and a really great way to get some VEGGIES into your kids.  It's a sweet comfort food, super simple to make, and very nutritious.  What a combo!  Good for breakfast or a snack.

ZUCCHINI CUSTARD

     In your blender, combine:  2 medium zucchini, cubed; 6 eggs, 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 c. honey or 3/4 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 T. butter or coconut oil.

     Blend on high for 1 minute until well blended.  Pour into a greased 8x8 glass pan.  Dot with butter (optional) and sprinkle with more nutmeg.  Bake  in a 350-degree oven for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean in the middle.

     I originally posted this on my Tea and Thee blog, but I'm transferring the food recipes from there to here.  This is a delicious soup, one of our favorites, great for a cold day.  Enjoy!

Potato-Cheese Soup

     Cube 5 or 6 potatoes (skins on or off as you prefer), cover with water just so it barely covers them, add 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic, and an 8-oz. can of tomato sauce.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

     Remove from heat and puree in batches in blender with enough milk to process.  (You can also just hand-mash them in the pan with a more lumpy result.  I actually use a Braun handheld blender right in the pan.)  Return to a low heat, add more milk to desired thickness, and reheat.  Add 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until melted, and add more salt to taste if necessary.  Serve with crackers or whole-grain bread and a green salad.

     Note:  I have adapted this to a main-dish soup by adding browned hamburger or sausage and green chilies.

Okay, this may not fall under "health food," but a lot of generations of Scandinavian kids have been raised on it and it's wonderful!  I made a real Swedish dinner for us last night:  meatballs, creamed potatoes, peas, and steamed cabbage.  Sounds of rejoicing were heard from the dining table...so I thought I'd share my meatball recipe with you.  It's my Mom's, which makes it really special!

Swedish Meatballs

Mix well:

     1 1/2 lbs. ground beef; 1 onion, grated; 3/4 c. bread crumbs or saltine cracker crumbs; 2 eggs; 3/4 tsp. allspice; 1/4 tsp. sage; 1 tsp. salt; pepper to taste; some milk to soften and moisten.

     Shape into balls and either brown in a skillet or bake on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until brown.  Remove to a shallow casserole dish.  Cover with 1 can beef broth, diluted with 1 can of water.

     Bake in a slow oven (325 degrees) for 1 1/2 hours.

YUM!

     When it comes to healthy living, it's easy to get our focus on vitamins, herbs, good food, exercise, etc.  God has given all of that as a gift to us to sustain our life and work here.

     But I think it's good to step back a bit and remind ourselves where our True Health lies:  in the blessing of God and through Jesus, our Life.  I have a little "power pack" of special verses that remind me of that, something I've been 'feeding' on in recent months as I've battled candida.  His promises are Truth and he says that what we ask in His Name, He will do for us if we believe.  I believe!

     "Healing" (marpe in the Hebrew) means "restoration of health, remedy, cure, medicine, tranquility, deliverance, refreshing."  Sound good?

     If you are struggling with a health issue, let me share a few of these wonderful Words.  You probably already know them, but it's so good to ponder them again, to personalize them and put "me" or "I" in place of the pronouns.  A terrific faith builder!

     "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.  He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases..."  Ps. 103:2, 3

    "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress.  He sent forth His Word and healed them."  Ps. 107:20

     "And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill; in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."  Matt. 8:16-17

     "The reason the Son of God was made manifest--visible--was to undo, destroy, loosen, and dissolve the works the devil has done."  I John 3:8 (Amplified)

     "And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (that is, your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.  Go in (to) peace, and be continually healed and free from your (distressing bodily) disease."  Mark 5:34 (Amp)

     "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they will get well."  Mark 16:18

     "Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise."  Jer. 17:14

     "O Lord, my God, I cried out to You for help, and You restored my health."  Ps. 30:2

     "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord."  Jer. 30:17

     "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed."  Is. 53:5

     "A happy heart is a good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing."  Prov. 17:22 (Amp)

     "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and...He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil."  Acts 10:38

     "For with God nothing is ever impossible, and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment."  Luke 1:37

     Don't you get the picture of how eager He is to bless and restore us?  I was reminded this week in reading Hebrews that in order for God's Words to be fulfilled in my life, they have to be "mixed with faith" (Heb. 4:2).  It says God's words to the Israelites did them no good because they did not receive them with faith.

     O, Lord, increase our faith!

   If you get inspired to get the cookbook I wrote about in my last post...and if you decide to tackle some of the fermented veggies (sauerkraut, kimchi) or make your own homemade mayonnaise (wonderful recipe), you'll find you need to make whey for the recipes...you know, that clear, watery stuff that separates from yogurt.  This is not to be confused with powdered whey--that won't work.

     The book tells you how to do it--straining it through cheesecloth, which essentially makes a sort of cream cheese from the yogurt part.  The whey you keep in the fridge to use for the recipes.  (By the way, we like to use whole milk yogurt.  It makes the cream cheese richer--and now I feel free to enjoy it after reading the cookbook!)

     But there are all sorts of things you can do with the yogurt-cream-cheese.  One of our favorites is to blend to taste onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and a bit of salt with it to make a veggie or cracker dip that tastes just like ranch dressing.

     You can also add honey and cinnamon for a sweet bagel spread or apple dip.  Yum!  Or spread it on a whole wheat tortilla, add a banana and roll it up for a quick, nutritious snack for the kids.

     You can add creamed horseradish and thin it a bit with milk for a tasty condiment for roast beef.  (Or spread it on your roast beef sandwich!)

   Yogurt cream cheese is healthy and full of probiotics that pack a nutritional punch for your family's health. 

     I am something of a cookbook junkie, and the last thing I really need is another cookbook.  After all, with the zillions of recipes available on the internet, who needs another cookbook?  I did...this one:  Nourishing Traditions.

     The whole idea author Sally Fallon puts forth here is that throughout history and in cultures around the world, truly nutritious foods and their preparation have been lost in our 'modern' diets, to the great damaging of our health.  I love her subtitle:  The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.  Some of the challenges include things like butter is good for you!  And, whole milk is better for you than low-fat.  Personally, I've always wondered why God would send us wonderful things like butter, cream and eggs and then tell us that they're bad for us!  It's what we've done to them in our industrialization and mass food production that's bad.

     She talks about a key preparation needful for grains, nuts, and seeds, that of pre-soaking to break down the phytates on their outsides.  This inhibits the full absorption of minerals, etc.  I've adopted this practice, presoaking our breakfast grains or dinner beans before cooking, and honestly, we can really tell a difference in their digestibility.

     And something I've really appreciated learning is about the critical importance of probiotics and enzymes being present in our foods.  I now happily make lacto-fermented Kimchi regularly (you'll have to look it up in the book!) and am eager to try her version of sauerkraut.

     There's a large section at the beginning devoted to explanation of fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, food allergies, etc.  Each page of recipes also contains a sidebar loaded with relevant information.  The more I read the more astounded I am at how far we've come from what God intended our food to be.  The book is quite an education, and I'd highly recommend it if you're looking to improve your family's health.

     A real loss on a candida diet is that of bread!  I'm talking l-o-s-s.  I could live on bread.  But until I resume that wonderful stuff again, I discovered a recipe I had to share for flax bread.  It has a delicious, nutty flavor, holds together beautifully and is very low in carbs.  It bakes up something like cake but you can split it for sandwich-style use, or even French toast!  It's a winner.

100% Flax Bread

     Mix well:  2 c. ground flax meal, 1 T. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. powdered stevia.  In a separate bowl, mix 5 eggs, 1/2 c. water, and 1/3 c. oil.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan and let stand for 2 minutes for batter to thicken up.  Bake 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven; cool and cut into 12 squares.

     Each serving has less than 1 gram of carbs and 5 grams of fiber.

     THOUGHT:  I haven't tried it yet, but why couldn't a person add a bit more stevia and cocoa for a chocolatey treat??

     I have been following with interest a thread on a Sonlight forum about how to make your own deodorant and its success.  I've been surprised at the accolades that keep coming...so I made some and tried it.  It works!  I'm actually liking it better than anything I've bought, even Tom's and Jason's from the health store.  And you can't beat the price!!

     Here's the recipe, too simple:

5-6 T. coconut oil

1/4 c. baking soda

1/4 c. cornstarch

(Optional:  a drop or two of essential oil, like lavender)

     Mix it up thoroughly.  With the warm weather the coconut oil liquifies but that's fine.  Just mix it up with your finger just before use, and rub it lightly on.  Coconut oil is not a heavy oil like olive and absorbs readily into your skin, so there's not a residue on your clothes.  You need to remix with each use as long as it's liquified, but it will solidify with cooler temps.

     I think that the effective ingredient is the coconut oil; it's anti-fungal and anti-microbial, so I think it takes care of the bacteria that causes odor.  At any rate, I've been amazed at the effectiveness of something so simple.

     You could do a web search for more info on homemade deodorant.  It's been a happy discovery!

Believe it or not, this recipe came out of a desperate need to do something different with zucchini!  I like it...and I hope you do, too!  You can do this as a vegetarian main meal, or serve with sausages, hamburger, or other prepared meat.  This makes 2 servings.

Mexican Zucchini Stir-Fry

     In a small amount of olive oil, begin to saute 1/2 of a diced bell pepper over medium-high heat, then add one medium zucchini, diced.  Stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes, then add 1 clove of garlic, minced, and 2 diced plum tomatoes.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of ground cumin and salt to taste, stir well.  Add 1 T. water or so to loosen any residue from bottom of pan, stir well, and continue to cook for another 2 or 3 minutes until tender.

   Serve over cooked black beans, top with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and sour cream. 

     A super-healthy thing you can do for your family is to make your own homemade broth--not the anemic, expensive kind in a can from the grocery store!  After you make your own, you'll be spoiled forever.  It serves as the base for soups, sauces, and gravies, and adds wonderful flavor to cooking rice and other grains.  It's loaded with nutrients and enzymes that boost your health and strengthens your bones and connective tissues.  Give it a try!

Homemade Chicken or Beef Broth

For chicken broth:  You can either just cook up chicken pieces that you need for the meat, or use the unappealing pieces:  backs, wings, neck, etc.  Cover with filtered water in a large pot or crockpot (I usually make at least two or three quarts at a time--the more pieces, the richer the broth).

     Add 1/4th of an onion, some celery tops, 2 or 3 peppercorns, and 2-3 tsp. of apple cider vinegar (this helps to draw the minerals out of the bones).  Simmer for several hours, covered.  Add salt to taste.  Strain the broth and chill.  The next day, remove the fat layer, spoon into freezer containers and freeze.

     Instead of raw chicken parts, I will cook up the whole carcass leftover from a rotisserie chicken from Costco.  They are pre-seasoned and make up a delicious broth, also.

For beef broth:  You can follow the same process and ingredients above, but substitute some meaty beef bones (ones with marrow are best) or leftover bones from a roast.  You can also roast your own in the oven first, (400 degrees for 20 minutes or until nice and brown, turning halfway through).  This adds a much richer flavor than just using uncooked bones.

     It's been my experience that beef broth takes longer to cook--I'd suggest all day.  It also doesn't have the lovely brown look of what you buy in the store, but it's better for you!  You'll have to experiment to see how much meat makes the kind of broth you like.

     Hey, I'm back on the radar!  It's been a very busy and distracting few weeks and I've not had the motivation to post...but hopefully I'm back to a consistent schedule now.

     I wanted to share a great recipe that we have a lot.  It's very versatile, either as a side dish, or can be a light main dish for supper.  Leftovers are great for breakfast!

Fried Rice

Have ready:

     4 c. cooked brown rice

     4-5 eggs, beaten in a bowl

     4-5 sliced green onions

     OPTIONAL:  Choose from small cooked shrimp, chopped cooked chicken or beef

     In a large skillet (non-stick works great), heat some oil--I use olive or coconut.  Pour eggs in and stir in soft-set (just scrambled).  Remove and set aside.  Add 2 T. more oil, then add cooked rice.  Spread around and break up clumps; fry for several minutes, turning over from time to time until a bit golden.  Add onions and and optional meat and fry a bit more.  Add eggs and break up; cover and warm for a couple of minutes.

     Serve with soy sauce or Liquid Aminos.  Enjoy!

     I'm copying some posts over from my other blog that are food and health-related, so if you think you've read this before...you might be right!

***********

     Some health issues in our family have driven me to explore the somewhat uninviting world of eating without sugar.  Now before you click me off, let me say that we're finding it quite satisfying to modify recipes using stevia, a very healthy and natural sugar substitute.

     I could probably discuss at length the bad stuff sugar does to your body, but you can check that out yourself.  Even substituting stevia now and again can help enhance your overall health.  Did you know that stevia actually enhances the work of probiotics--good bacteria--in your body?  I've found that when you cut back on sugar, you begin to lose your taste for it.  (I know this is hard to believe!)

     If you're going to start using stevia, I would recommend doing some research on the different forms.  The best information I found were in stevia cookbooks from the library.  My favorite brand is by NuNaturals, "NuStevia" White Stevia Powder that comes in premeasured packets and doesn't have a bitter aftertaste that some brands do.  I get it at our health food store but you can order it online and read about stevia at their website.

     So if you're courageous enough to try it, stay tuned!  In the coming days I'll be sharing recipes with you that I've developed--coleslaw, bread pudding, granola, blueberry sauce, chocolate cake.  I'd love to hear from you if you've had successes with this.

     For starters, here's our first recipe:

Sugar-free Whipped Cream

     With your mixer, blend 1 pint whipping cream, 1 packet of stevia, and 1/4 tsp. real vanilla until it forms peaks.   This works great as a substitute for frosting.  Voila!  How easy can that be?!

     Options:  cocoa powder for chocolate whipped cream, cinnamon for spiced. 

     If you've never heard of Oreganol P73, let me be the first to introduce you to it.  We learned of this marvelous stuff from a guy at church who was healed of a 20-year sinus condition when he started taking Oreganol.  We've used this for everything from bladder infection to flu and highly recommend it.

     Oreganol is a natural product, the true oil of oregano from the Mediterranean, the "hyssop" of the Bible.  Many oil of oregano products are actually from a sage plant with a different botanical profile.  It is highly concentrated in drop form, and destroys many pathogens--viruses, bacteria, and fungi, on contact.  When we feel like a cold is coming on, we put three drops across the back of our tongue and within minutes, the symptoms are gone.  I could go on and on, but I recommend you read the FAQ page on the Oreganol website and discover the myriad benefits of it.

     In fact, Dr. Cass Ingram has written a book about this product called, The Cure is in the Cupboard.  All the different dosages for various sicknesses are given--and man, what an eye-opening read.

     I've also used another of their products, the herb in capsule form, Oregamax, which is milder.  Good for kids and overall immune health.  They have several other products specific to lung ailments, a nasal spray, and a few others.

     You can get Oreganol products in your local health store or order online.

Now that you've had stellar success making granola in the crockpot, here's a simple recipe to whip out some granola bars.  You can wrap them individually in plastic and freeze them.

Granola Bars

     Mix 2 cups of granola with two eggs.  Spread in a greased 8x8 baking pan, pressing the mixture evenly.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Cool and cut.  Voila!

    Double the amount of ingredients for a 9x13 pan.

How easy is that?!

     I've had some friends request this recipe so I'll share it here since it's so great.  Yes, granola even gets brown and toasted in the crockpot!  Another plus is the electricity savings from not using the oven.

     Basically, you can take any recipe you like for granola and bake it in the crockpot.  Turn it on low and prop the lid open a bit so that the steam escapes.  After 45 minutes or so, stir and replace lid as before.  You'll need to stir it every 10 or 15 minutes after that until it's done to your liking.  Mine is usually done in an hour and a half or so.

     I have the large-sized crockpot and my recipe is as follows:

Mix together:

     7 c. oatmeal

     1 c. coconut

     1/2 c. each pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds

     1/4 c. flax seeds

     2 tsp. cinnamon

     1/2 tsp. or less sea salt

Blend in a small bowl:

     1/2 c. oil or melted coconut oil

     2 tsp. vanilla

     1/2 c. honey or to taste (I use stevia powder)

Mix all together well and bake.  Add dried fruit of your choice.

     Okay, I know this is a ridiculous topic to post about--pillows!  But, in case I'm addressing any other soul who has suffered as I have, this might be the voice in the fog, calling "Faint not!  There is hope!"

     I have been on a quest for the Perfect Pillow for years.  Like the Princess and the Pea, I moaned over the lump-filled, sorry-excuse-for-a-pillow polyester variety, replacing them often, ever hopeful that the descriptions on the packaging were true this time:  "NEW material!  Long lasting!  Provides the neck support you've been looking for!"  Ha.

     Then I moved on to feathers.  I love the punchability of a feather pillow, but alas, if you happen to move in the night you lose that perfect shape and find your head resting in a swale.  The cost was daunting so I opted for a cheap one.  You know what?  I think they're filled with chicken feathers.  I spent endless nights trying to ignore the pokes and pricks of stiff little feathers working their way through the cover to torment me.  Finally biting the bullet and paying for the creme de la creme of feathers--goose down--I was miserably disappointed to find that apparently geese are relatively unwilling to share their fluff.  Not enough filling and my head was back in the familiar ditch.  Have you ever tried to add feathers to a pillow?  Don't.  It's not a pretty sight.

     Then I read about memory foam.  This was it!  And who cared about cost at a time like this--my chiropractor was happily tucking away my $$$ to fix my cricked neck.  It was a beautiful pillow, sculpted to conform to my neck with a velvety-soft washable cover.  Sigh.  For a few months I was truly happy.  Then I began to notice that I was finding myself sleeping on the two far sides of center...and realized it was breaking down.  It wasn't long before I likened this whole velvety affair to a box of rocks.

     Finally, (yes, my story is nearly over) Hubby told me of growing up with latex (natural rubber) pillows, of how perfectly content he was all those long years, blissfully unaware of what an Issue the Wrong Pillow could be.  No man-made chemical concoctions here with a shelf life of months.  God made this stuff!!  No stingy geese involved!  It's allergy-free!  Anti-microbial!  Perfect neck support!  Keeps on ticking for years and years!

     And yes, I have a Testimonial.  Since I got my beloved latex Pillow, my neck has ceased to hurt, I sleep wonderfully, and I am Happy.  My quest is over.  Eagerly, I pass along this marvelous recommendation and wish you happy sleeping!

     P.S.  They don't carry them at most stores and online you can't check their height.  The WalMart ones were too flat.  I got my at Sears and it was just right. 

    This recipe is amazing!  Everything in it is good for you...it's sweetened with stevia...it's perfect for a candida-control diet...it freezes beautifully...and it's DELICIOUS!!  I've adapted the recipe from one I found on a candida forum, and you'll never believe with the "mystery" ingredient is!...Avocado!

     This is good enough to serve to company--just don't tell them what's in it until after they've eaten it.    So mix up a batch and ENJOY!

Stevia Chocolate Mousse

2 c. (2 large) ripe avocadoes

1 tsp. stevia powder (or more to taste)

2 T. melted coconut oil

1 1/2 tsp. good vanilla

1 tsp. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos

1/2 c. cocoa or roasted carob powder (or a mixture)

     Blend all ingredients well in a food processor until smooth and lump-free.  Spoon 1/3-1/2 c. into dessert dishes and chill well.  Can serve with a dollop of whipped cream (sweetened with stevia!).

     Okay, time to 'fess up...how many of you regularly use rutabagas and parsnips in your diet?!  What?!  You don't?!  Relax...I didn't either for most of my life until health issues in our family drove me to experiment and discover more of the beautiful and nutritious vegetables God gave us to eat.

     So I'd like to give you a formal introduction to them and share a yummy recipe we now have as a regular on our table.  You'll find baking the veggies like this brings out their natural sweetness which carmelizes into a wonderful dish.  Vary amounts according to your taste.

     Rutabagas are a member of the turnip family, a root vegetable that has a deep yellow flesh.  As with all root crops, they take in lots of nutrients from the soil.  They have an alkaline effect on your body--something you want to fight disease--and are especially known for their cancer-fighting qualities.  They are high in potassium with good amounts of Vitamin C and fiber.

     Parsnips are those long, white, carrot-looking things you've seen in the produce section.  They are very high in fiber, rich in potassium and cancer-fighting substances, and have a sweet, nutty taste when cooked.

Root Vegetable Bake

- 2-3 parsnips, peeled and diced

- rutabagas, peeled and diced to equal 1 1/2 cups

- 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced, OR 1 1/2 cups baby carrots

- 3 red potatoes, diced

     Mix well in large bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste, and add 1 T. dried parsley.  Mix well and turn into a sprayed-with-PAM or buttered casserole dish.  Dot with butter, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

     Another great use I've discovered for glass this year is using canning jars for the freezer.  The safest type is actual canning jars--Kerr, Ball, Mason--because their glass is tempered, rather than mayonnaise or peanut butter jars.  You can buy screw-type lids for them at WalMart, and the jars are often available for pennies apiece at garage sales.

     I've been trying to get away from plastic use as much as possible and these jars have worked out great.  I use both quart and pint size.  They work for everything from soup to crumbled fried bacon or grated cheese.  Glass is not air-permeable like plastic is so the storage life-span is longer without that icky freezer taste.  And it's easy to see what you've got in there, too.

     I use the small jars to freeze spices.  You can buy the large containers of salsa or applesauce at Sam's or Costco and freeze them in jars at an amazing cost savings.  Bread crumbs, grains, and flour store beautifully this way.

     Just a word of caution--a breakable container can be a hazard with kids around!  Also, you can't defrost frozen jars of liquid under running water as they could crack.  So plan on defrost time accordingly.

     Canning jars have worked in my cupboard, too, for storing beans and grains--and look pretty, too!

     I discovered a better way for covering food plates in the microwave than what I'd been doing.  Paper towel and wax paper cost money, and I really try not to use any kind of plastic because of the health hazard.

     So I bought a couple of extra glass lids with handles--the kind that go on top of casserole dishes like Pyrex or Corning--at a thrift store.  They work beautifully!  They keep the splattering down, they pose no health risk, I can see through them, and they cost almost nothing.  Such a deal!