Thursday, May 12, 2016

Bone Broth Updated

In our Traditional Foods Cooking Class, our wonderful instructor, Monica Corrado of Simply Being Well, taught us many traditional foods techniques. I love the bone broth method we were taught! A few more ingredients than my original bone broth recipe, but worth it!

What you need:
 Bones from 2 chicken
 Several chicken feet or backs or necks
 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
 1 organic onion (the skin can be left on)
 3 organic carrots
 3 organic celery stalks
 1 bunch parsley
 Filtered water

 Equipment:
 1 large stock pot
 Large sieve
 Another large pot

What you do:
 Place all chicken bones and parts in stock pot
 Add enough filtered water to cover bones
 Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and let sit 30 minutes to 1 hour
 Clean and chop onion, carrot and celery into large chunks and add to pot
 Bring to boil
 Reduce heat to simmer (surface should be calm with bubbles rising)
 Skim any scum from top of surface
 Put lid on and allow to cook for 12 to 24 hours
 Add bunch of parsley for last 10 minutes
 Allow to cool
 Put large sieve over the other pot
 Pour broth though sieve

 I store my broth in quart size Mason jars. If I'm freezing some of the jars of broth, I add only 24 ounces to the quart jars (as I have had too many jars filled too full that break in the freezer).

This broth is amazing by itself, with added Celtic sea salt, in a big mug!
Enjoy!



Toothpaste

Simple to make! Easy to use! We've been using this toothpaste for years. We got this recipe from Matt & Betsy at DIY Natural. (By the way, they have a great website with great do-it-yourself ideas!)

What you need:
 2/3 cup Bob's baking soda (I get mine from Thrive)
 1 tsp. good quality sea salt
 Peppermint essential oil
 Pure water

What you do:
 In glass bowl, combine baking soda, salt and about 10-20 drops peppermint oil
 Add water little by little to desired consistency
 Store in glass jars (I use small Mason jars)
 To use, dip dampened toothbrush in toothpaste and brush teeth as usual
 Enjoy this simple, non-toxic toothpaste!

Tallow Lotion

I love this lotion! Though it's a bit greasier than conventional lotions, the benefits are many. Great information on tallow lotion can be found on The Weston A. Price website.

What you need:
 1  11 ounce jar of Epic Beef Tallow (from Thrive)
 1 to 2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
 Your choice of essential oils (I have used geranium with lavender and also lemon and orange)

 Equipment:
 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup
 Shallow pan

What you do:
 In a glass Pyrex 2 cup measuring cup, scoop out all of tallow
 Place in a pan filled with about 1 inch of water
 Heat on medium until tallow is melted
 Let tallow cool
 Add 1 to 2 ounces of olive oil and desired amount of essential oils
 Mix thoroughly (I use my electric hand mixer) and store in glass containers (an empty Organic Valley ghee jar is perfect)
 Place in refrigerator to harden a bit, but not too much
 Enjoy!

Caution: Be prepared for dogs to lick your legs. ;-) They love this stuff!

The BEST Deodorant

For about the last five years, we have been switching out our store bought personal care products for homemade, non-toxic ones. This deodorant was the first thing we made. It's easy to make...and it works!

What you need:
 3/4 cup coconut oil (for this, I use the TJs brand)
 1/2 cup Shea butter (from Thrive)
 1/2 cup arrowroot powder (from Thrive)
 1/2 cup baking soda (Bob's from Thrive)

What you do:
 Place a Pyrex glass measuring cup in a sauce pan containing about an inch of water
 Heat the coconut oil and the Shea butter in the measuring cup on medium heat until melted
 Remove from heat and place melted oil and Shea butter in bowl
 Add arrowroot powder and baking soda and stir to combine
 Place in 3 separate 4 ounce Mason jars 
 Cover and place in refrigerator to harden a bit, but not too much
 To use scoop out deodorant (about the size of a shelled peanut), rub together in hands
 and rub under arms

If you develop a rash under your arms, try cutting back on the amount of baking soda. We had problems with rashes more often when we were not using Shea butter. No problems since adding it!

Also, this deodorant melts in warm weather. We haven't noticed any change in its effectiveness. 

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Seared Ahi Salad

Delicious! Simple! This salad makes a great dinner.

What you need:
 Wild caught Ahi tuna steak
 Salt
 Pepper
 Garlic powder
 Butter or ghee
 Arugula and mixed greens
 Cucumber, thinly sliced
 Avocado, diced
 Goat cheese, crumbled
 Zest and juice from one lemon
 Avocado oil to taste
 Sprouted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

What you do:
 Place big chunk of butter or ghee in pan, heated on medium high
 Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on one side of Ahi steak
 Place steak, seasoned side down in pan
 Cook for 3 minutes
 While cooking, sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on other side
 Flip steak and cook 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat
 Coarsely chop arugula and mixed greens and place in large bowl
 Add cucumber, avocado and goat cheese
 Zest lemon and add juice from one lemon to salad
 Drizzle avocado oil to taste
 Arrange salad on two plates
 Slice cooked Ahi and add to salad
 Top with sprouted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
 Enjoy!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

What you need:
 1 package organic Brussels sprouts (TJs)
 1/4 lb. bacon, sliced
 Ghee
 Garlic powder or finely chopped fresh garlic
 Celtic sea salt
 Pepper

What you do:
 Preheat oven to º400
 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
 While oven is preheating, spoon out a big blob of ghee onto baking sheet
 Place in oven to melt ghee
 Clean Brussels sprouts, slice off ends, and cut in half lengthwise
 Toss Brussels sprouts in melted ghee
 Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and toss some more
 Add sliced bacon
 Bake for 10 minutes, then toss
 Continue to bake until Brussels sprouts have browned, about 10 to 15 more minutes
 Enjoy!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Fritatta

My sweet baby sister, Debbi, is an amazing cook! We were heading to a dear friend's daughter's wedding, and Debbi wanted to bring a frittata for the family. We didn't head to the store. We just combined what we already had. One bridesmaid commented that it was the best frittata she had ever tasted!

What you need:
 3 sweet potatoes or russet potatoes, cleaned and thinly sliced
 Butter
 1 pound bacon, chopped
 1 diced onion
 8 ounces chopped mushrooms
 8 ounces chopped spinach
 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
 8 ounces grated cheese
 12 pastured eggs
 1/2 cup whipping cream
 Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:
 Heat oven to 350º
 While oven is heating, place large slab of butter in 9" X 13" baking glass and melt in oven
 Once butter is melted, remove baking dish and layer potatoes on bottom of dish
 Put baking dish back in oven and bake until potatoes are tender to touch with fork, about 10-15 mins.
 While potatoes are cooking, put bacon in large pot and cook on medium heat
 Once bacon is almost cooked crisply, add onions and mushrooms
 When onions and mushrooms are tender, add spinach and garlic
 In large bowl beat the eggs and add cream, salt (about 2 tsp.) and pepper
 Spoon out bacon/spinach/mushrooms over the potatoes
 Sprinkle grated cheese on top
 Pour egg/cream mixture over everything
 Place in pre-heated oven and check at 30 minutes
 Cool, slice and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche (sour cream), sliced avocado and a scoop of salsa
 Enjoy hot or cold!

I wrap leftovers in parchment paper (individual servings), then in plastic bags and store in the freezer. Then I heat up just what we need for a meal in our toaster oven. Quick, nutrient-rich, yummy meal!