Whole-Grain Waffle and Pancake Mix

This is a great make-ahead mix for the busy cook whether serving family or special guests.

10 cups whole-grain flour (you can use a variety to what suits your needs.)
1-1/2 cups buckwheat flour (at health food stores)1
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1-1/2 cups oatmeal (You can blend in your blender or coffee grinder or just leave it whole.)
2 cups buttermilk powder
5 T baking powder
2 T baking soda
1 cup sucanat (natural sweetener found at the health stores)
2 T salt

Mix all together in a very large bowl and divide up into labeled gallon-sized freezer storage bags. Store extra in freezer. These also make wonderful gifts. Just remember to add the directions, which follow:
To make pancakes or waffles:
1 cup pancake or waffle mix
1 egg
1/2 to 2/3 cup water
2 T oil

You can add ground flaxseed, chopped fruit, etc. on top of the batter when cooking to add extra nutrition and flavor.

I make many batches of cooked waffles and freeze them. We just take them out and put them in the toaster!

Some great toppings that we use are:
pure maple syrup (for special occasions)
plain yogurt with a bit of honey & vanilla added
warmed up berries
applesauce
natural peanut butter with mashed banana

We've been having waffles on Sunday mornings as a special treat. I make the batter up the night before. I found this wonderful waffle maker that makes 4 large squares at the local Salvation Army!

Enjoy good health!

Top 10 Things Children Want Their Parents to Do With Them

I just have to pass this along. It is such a good reminder for all of us parents. This was posted at www.mercola.com.

This is a list of the top 10 things students around the world said they desire most from their parents.

1. Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.

2. Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.

3. Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.

4. Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.

5. At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekends.

6. At night talk to me about anything: love, school, family etc.

7. Let me play outside a lot.

8. Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together (or read books).

9. Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.

10. Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.

Children are incredibly wise and tend to see the world more simply than we do. Perhaps it is time we start taking their advice.

I think I could add a little note and say that this might be a list husbands and wives would desire of each other, also. What do you think? lol

Speak Gently

This poem is just a nice reminder to "rule by love than fear."

Speak Gently by David Bates

Speak gently; it is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently; let no harsh word mar
The good we may do here.
Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear;
Pass through this life as best they may,
'Tis full of anxious care.

Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the careworn heart
Whose sands of life are nearly run;
Let such in peace depart.
Speak gently to the erring; know
They must have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!

Speak gently; 'tis a little thing
Dropped in the heart's deep well;
The good, the joy, that it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.


"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26

Trying For Consistency

Another one of my New Year resolutions this year is to try to be consistent.

1. Consistent with my exercise:
~3 days a week of weight training.
~I have been using Joyce Vedral's books for over 20 years now. Bottoms Up and Definition are my favorites. http://www.joycevedral.com/
~3 days a week of cardio. I love interval cardio where you vary your speeds from low to high to low to high, whether walking, running, swimming etc.
~2 days a week of yoga/pilates. Check out free yoga at www.yogatoday.com


2. Consistent with my clean-eating.
~meaning eating foods as close to their natural source as possible. No white flour, sugar, processed foods etc. Check out Clean Eating magazine at http://www.cleaneatingmagazine.com/



3. Consistent with reading to my students.
~By far, my favorite part of the day. Nothing is better than reading a book that we all enjoy. We are currently reading "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and "Prince Caspian" from The Chronicles of Narnia series. Very Exciting!



4. Consistent with my cleaning routine.
~I am still trying with FlyLady! http://www.flylady.net/



5. Consistent with keeping track of our finances.
It just feels good to be able to keep track. When we were unemployed there was NOTHING to keep track of! http://www.daveramsey.com/

So consistency is the name of my game right now. Just a little at a time. I am not trying to make a big deal about any of these things~just trying to get them in if even for 15 minutes.

Have a great day!

Joni's Pneumonia

My sis-in-law came down with the flu this past November/December. She went to the doctor after she was starting to feel better but was still up one night coughing. She was diagnosed with pneumonia!

The doctor gave her a prescription.

Her hubby, being the researcher that he is, began researching the medication. Turns out it was an extremely strong drug with too many side effects and just barely government approved!

This did not sit well for drug-conscience hubby!

Since she was not on her death bed (Doctor confirmed it was not an extreme case.) they thought they would look into natural remedies.

With a little help from a loving Auntie, very trustworthy books and our Good Father, Joni was able to cure her pneumonia with all-natural products!

Here is what she did:
~2x/day Ordgano Oil (1 capsule) by Nature's Way
~3x/day Echinacea (3 capsules) by Nature's Way
~Zinc Lozenge (1 lozenge) by Nature's Way (every few hours for a couple days)
~2-4x/day Emergen-C powdered drink
4-4x/day Umcka ColdCare (1 tsp) (soothing syrup: shortens duration and redudces severity of cough, congestion, sore throat, sinus and bronchial infections- a leading european medicine that speeds recovery instead of just masking symptoms!)
~3x/day Garlic (3 cloves minced-let sit for 5 minutes to bring out healing properties- and mixed into bowl of applesauce)
~2-4x/day Onion with honey (simmer quartered onions in water until soft and drizzle on some honey)
Eat the whole onion! Joni also drank the broth and her hubby added garlic and Kombu seaweed when cooking because it adds more vitamins and nutrients, but it is not necessary.
She also added cinnamon, salt, stevia, tabasco sauce and worcestershire sauce to the cooked onions. She loved it and said it was DELICIOUS!

This is what Joni says of her healing routine:
"I was rigid with this for 6 days straight. I think I would've gone longer but stopped because I had something to go to that 7th day and didn't want to stink for garlic. I intended to continue afterward but got lazy. I started it back up again (the garlic especially and supplements a few days later since I noticed I was still fatigued etc.). I would've continued straight through for longer. If I wasn't at the pneumonia stage, I wouldn't have been so aggressive and I definitely lay a lot of stock in the garlic and onion for sure. Of course it is hard to say exactly what is doing most of the healing when I"m taking so many things, but it seemed like we put together a pretty good combination."

My Dear Sis-in-law was her healthy, gorgeous self come Christmas Day!

I had her tell me exactly what she did and so this is it!

Miracles DO come TRUE and THIS ONE didn't include ONE NASTY DRUG!

HALLELUJAH!

Thank you, Joni, for sharing and Thank You, God, for EVERYTHING!

Make Any Meal Healthier

Just a few ideas to help us make our meals a little bit healthier!

1. Use meat as a condiment: According to the Mediterranean Diet, red meat is often a flavoring rather than the focus. Replace half the amount called for in a stir-fry, for example, with beans and veggies. This boosts fiber and antioxidants while reducing calories and saturated fat.

2. Reinvent your favorites with fish: for example, tuna burgers or salmon tacos. Having 2-3 servings of fish a week gives you a dose of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

3. Jazz up your grains: Stir in colorful veggies, like carrots, red cabbage or zucchini using olive oil to cook or season. This healthy fat helps your body absorb the antioxidants in the veggies.

4. Have fruit for dessert: In the Mediterranean, cookies and pastries are more special occasion treats than everyday fare. Baked pears sprinkled with toasted almond or yogurt with dried figs and honey are low-calorie options, plus it gives us a perfect chance to act like a gourmet chef! Last night we thawed frozen strawberries just slightly and put a dollop or two of homemade yogurt with a touch of honey and vanilla on top! Everyone loved it~kids and all! And oh so simple!

Here is the yogurt recipe that works for me! You need a candy thermometer and glass mason jars. When I made this exact recipe, I used 2 quart jars and 1 pint jar, but you could just as easily put it into any container with a lid.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon of milk
6 T of room temperature yogurt starter, which is any plain yogurt from the store. I like to use organic Greek yogurt, but you can use any brand~greek or not.
1 c instant nonfat dry milk powder

1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into a pot and heat on stove over medium heat with a candy thermometer hooked onto the side of pot so that the tip is in the milk. When bubbles start to form around the edges (around 180 -200 degrees-it was 185 on my thermometer), remove from heat and stir in the instant dry milk powder.
2. Let the mixture cool until 110 degrees-It took about 30-35 minutes~if you need to speed it up a little you can put it in the fridge for a bit but keep your eye on it as it may not turn out if it gets too cool.
3. Once it reaches 110 degrees, stir a little milk mixture into the 6 T of yogurt starter and then add the yogurt starter and milk back into the pot and stir gently to mix.
4. Pour yogurt into mason jars and put on oven rack without the lids and switch on the oven light.
5. Keep in the oven overnight for 8 hours or more. Take out of oven, put on lids and put in the refrigerator.
6. Keep a small amount of yogurt for your starter for the next batch!

I just made yogurt last night and it turned out beautifully. Nice and creamy!

Enjoy God's wonderful food!

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 3 John 2

Happy New Year!

My dear husband said his New Year resolution for 2010 is to be happy!


What a fabulous idea!


It is the true meaning of Happy New Year, isn't it?


We all need to find out what truly makes us happy and then to strive toward that happiness!


We can start out by making a list of everything and anything that makes us happy!

Maybe we could do something each day that makes us happy.

It could be as simple as playing beautiful music throughout the day or checking up on your favorite golf blog-that one is for Lenny!

Or maybe a big happiness factor on your list might be to pursue a completely different career or trying something that has always fascinated you, like taking a ride on a Harley Davidson motorcycle or writing a book and getting it published.

Thinking about what makes you truly happy is fun to think about!

Doing things that make us happy will in turn make others happy!

I like Lenny's New Year resolution!

I am going to make it mine, too!

Have a wonderful, happy year!