progress...

Monday seems to be my most productive day of the week. It's when I find myself busy in the kitchen making muffins, cookies and stuff for lunches for the week. Yeah, I made those muffins again. I made the 2nd recipe (see below) this week because I really like the texture of them with the oats. I've been making everything with agave nectar since it's low glycemic and I am kinda trying to shed a few more of these pregnancy pounds. Unfortunately, training myself to indulge for nine months is sorta hard to undo. Thus, the few pounds remain. Well, the nine months and the fact that I love food and cooking could also be the culprit. But at least I'm making stuff super good for you even if they are quite lush in taste and texture.

The cookies I made couldn't be healthier though, I might add. I made them a few weeks back and Jason LOVED them. I haven't been able to duplicate that batch since. I think the difference was I used quick cooking oats and 1/2 self rising unbleached flour. Everything since then is totally whole grain (whole wheat flour, whole rolled oats) with agave nectar to sweeten and flax oil and natural peanut butter. Well dang, I'll just post the recipe at the end.

To further elaborate on the food theme, I tried some of the cultured vegetables I made last week and they are great. I am a bit gassy this afternoon from them though. I think I need to fast and get a good bit of alkaline fare in me for a few days and maybe I'll feel better.

The garden is coming along. I have good strong plants growing on about 90% of what I planted. Some seeds did not germinate. In the larger box I started some plants from seed and others I sprouted before I planted them. They are all doing well. I planted nearly all my plants in the smaller box from seed and they are slow to start. I know one day they will explode. I hope to harvest before the first frost but if they don't we have some good thick plastic to cover them with, but I continue to research our options. I do NOT want to lose this harvest! Lots of work to make it happen. Plus, it will be a great savings for us this winter. I've planted kale, collard greens, broccoli, parsnips, carrots, lettuce ( black seeded Simpson variety), kohlrabi (sorta like a turnip), radishes, snap peas and I think that's about it.

Today I got an email from Chad Carlton of Carlton Family Farms. They are offering fall CSA shares starting this week. I am hoping I can get in on half a share. Sounds like they will have a good crop this winter - I especially am interested in the sweet potatoes, winter squash and turnips. We just started getting raw milk and eggs from them. Hopefully this week I will be able to pick up some of his cuts of beef. Everything is farmed organically and all their hens are free range. Check out their website at www.carltonfarmsnaturalfoods.com. Chad and his wife have their own farm. Their blog is http://www.featherwisefarms.blogspot.com. They are living a dream of mine! :)

Jason and I are going to spend the day together this coming Wednesday for my birthday and I am so excited. I love getting time alone with my husband. So far the plan is to go to the Flying Biscuit in Midtown and then hit up the Botanical Gardens. I haven't been there in a long time. I know we both want to do a little thrift store shopping... maybe we'll get to.

Anyhow, here's the cookie recipe and some pictures of the garden.

Oatmeal/Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip Cookies (modified from the original Eating Well version: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oat_chocolate_cookie.html )

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
4 tablespoons flaxseed oil (or butter, but the butter needs to beaten with the peanut butter if you use it)
1 1/3 cup raw sugar, or I've used as little as 1/2 cup agave nectar and/or honey
2 eggs beaten lightly
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix wet ingredients, mis dry ingredients. Combine. Put spoonfuls on baking sheet. These cookies don't typically spread out much. Bake for 16 minutes.

And pics of the garden...

yeehaw for muffins (two recipes)

Since we've been on a super tight budget over the last month I've learned to really stretch a dollar and when it comes to the food front, it's easy to do when you're not eating out. I love to cook - it's one of my favorite things to do, so making things from scratch, while extremely economical, is always pleasurable.

I have this "Essential Vegetarian" cook book by Diana Shaw (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Guide-Foods/dp/051788268X) that I use from time to time. It has an excellent reference for use in cooking of the basic staples of the vegetarian diet (grains, beans, etc) as well as a guide to the many types of grains and vegetables and how to cook them. I love how hearty each dish is - so pure and simple but so good and warming to the soul. Anyway, she has a great muffin recipe in there that I've modified a little bit. I've been making these muffins each week, changing them up each time to keep it interesting. Of course, a hot muffin with butter and a cup of coffee (decaf in my case, since I'm nursing) is hard to beat, especially with the cooler morning temps rolling in with the change of the seasons (come on, Fall!).

So here it is... with my modifications:

Heat oven to 500 degrees... grease a muffin tin. I prefer not to use paper cups because I like how the muffins look when they come out without the paper.

2 cups whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill is the best) or 1 cup whole wheat + 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup flaxseed oil
1 cup buttermilk or whole milk or even plain yogurt
1/3 cup raw sugar, honey or agave nectar (you don't have to use as much honey)
fruit and/or nuts or your choosing (I've used fresh peaches, frozen blueberries, and dried fruit as well as pecans and walnuts - I like roasted nuts best and frozen fruit best)

As simple as it gets: mix the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients including the fruit if you choose to add fruit. DO NOT OVER-MIX... you only want the wet and dry to be barely moistened.

Fill muffin cups almost to full. Pop in the oven and after closing the door, drop oven temp to 400 degrees - this gives the muffins a nice lofty top. Cook for 28 - 30 minutes. Allow to cool in tins for about 5 - 10 minutes before removing from tins. Makes about 9 muffins or so.

Today I tried a new recipe because I just went grocery shopping and bought mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries) and wanted to just try some oats and yogurt in a recipe. So I found one online and modified it again to see how it would taste. They turned out pretty good - didn't get the nice muffin top but still delish.

Again, oven @ 500... grease muffin tin...

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups WHOLE oats
1/2 cup raw sugar, agave nectar or honey
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup yogurt - I used full fat organic yogurt from Stonyfield Farms
4 TBSP flaxseed oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1+ cups frozen berries

Mix wet, mix dry... put em in your muffin tins and in oven. Drop oven temp to 400 after putting the muffins in the oven. Bake for 28 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Yummy!