Hannah’s Vegetable Soup

Enjoy!

Spanish Paella

Taken from Wisdom Booklet #49

32 oz short grain rice (we used brown basmati)

4-5 single chicken breasts, cut up (we eliminated this)

3 red peppers

3 tomatoes

3/4 of a lemon, juiced (optional)

Garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley (Either dried or fresh from the garden )

Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil in a large pot. Add 12 cups of water, and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, saute tomatoes and garlic in olive oil in another large pot. Stir in dry rice, cooked chicken pieces, 9 cups of the chicken stock, red peppers, lemon juice, and seasonings. Boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes more. Check to see if all of the water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: The cooking time is not very accurate. We had to let it cook for additional time until the rice absorbed all of the liquid.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Layer the following ingredients in the bottom of a large greased crock pot:

3 lbs stew meat

4 large carrots, sliced

5 medium potatoes, sliced (we eliminated this)

2 onions, sliced

10 oz frozen green beans

1 cup frozen peas

1 can cream of mushroom soup (we eliminated this)

1 can cream of celery soup (we eliminated this)

1 jar gravy (we eliminated this)

Cook 5-6 hours on high, or 10-12 hours on low.

Note: We did 1 1/2 of the original recipe to feed 10 people (our grandmother is with us for four months). In place of the soups and gravy, we thawed the stew meat by placing it in a pot and adding just enough water to cover the meat. We later poured this water over the layers of meat and vegetables, in place of the creamy liquids. We also added salt and tapioca flour (to thicken the stew) just before serving. It was delicious – unanimously voted the best meal on the diet so far!!! I think it has to do with the fact that it includes MEAT!!!

This is day 13 of our Candida diet. We miss gluten, and we miss dairy, and we miss most of our favorite fresh fruits. But I think we all miss SUGAR the most!!! Why is it so hard to go without sugar? Probably because everything seems to have some sugar in it no matter how small the amount. We decided to put our ideas together and cook up something sweet. Since we are allowed to have a small amount of honey, agave, or stevia each week, we took a little of this, and a little of that, and… perfection! We came up with something that everyone LOVES. We look forward to Saturdays now. Our mom works wonders with health food. She played the main part in cooking up this delicious recipe, and I know we are all grateful!

The first version of this recipe started with our everyday breakfast (oatmeal!) for the crust, and included a fruity filling with ground nuts on top. Delicious, right?! It was really VERY good, and you would not have guessed it had an oatmeal crust. But this second version is really yummy with the crumb topping!

Apple-Berry Crisp

Mix together the following ingredients in a large bowl:

Stir together the following ingredients and pour over the fruit mixture:

Pour into a oiled (olive oil) 9×13″ pan (we used a glass pan).

For crumbs, mix together the following ingredients:

Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until bubbly (If you use a glass pan, you will see the liquid bubbling at the bottom and up the sides of the pan).

I promise it takes much better than it sounds!!! (of course we have not had white sugar for 2 weeks though, and we only eat a small measure of agave and stevia once a week )

Lentil Casserole ~

Serves 5

Combine all ingredients in lightly greased 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Add 2 sliced carrots, 2 cups sweet corn, and some celery, chopped small. Cook 30 more minutes.

Optional: Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and heat 5 more minutes until melted.

Note: We usually double the recipe to make two casseroles.

January 3rd marked the beginning of a 4 month challenge for our entire family. Due to a number of health problems that have been present among various ones for years, we decided to try eating a very strict diet that has already helped some of us in the past (It was the Candida diet that cleared up Timothy’s rash that he had from just a few weeks old, until he was 3).

One of the challenges of the Candida diet is finding a variety of recipes to use that taste good and that meet the given requirements . My goal is to share some of those recipes here, over the 120+ days of our diet.

Last night we had a recipe that we’ve really grown to enjoy (most of us anyway !) With a few minor changes, we were able to mix up a double batch of this delicious Black Bean Chili for supper. Probably the hardest part was eliminating the usual toppings that make it creamy, more flavorful, and of course just plain unhealthy…

Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

Directions:

Note; Rather than the usual sour cream, crushed corn chips and cheese for topping, we used rice or fresh avacado chunks…and of course a good healthy salad on the side!!!

For Christmas this year, David and I decided to sell desserts to the people in our neighborhood. We chose 5 of our favorite recipes to offer: Frosty Peppermint Dessert; Coconut Cream Pie; Frozen Peanut-Butter Chocolate Pie; Sugared Nuts; and Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark. It was a huge success, and lots of fun! I really enjoyed working with David to calculate costs, call up neighbors, look for the best deals while shopping, and finally spend today (Christmas Eve) baking for our wonderful neighbors. It’s such a joy to work with siblings! And it’s a really neat opportunity to reach out to our neighbors, to be a light to them during the few minutes that we cross paths. We love these opportunities to bake for a special occasion, and it’s a neat way to learn new entrepreneurial skills, grow in our understanding of business concepts, learn important lessons, and make a little money in the process!

Two weeks ago I got to experiment with something I’ve always dreamed of doing – yes, I finally made my first candle!!!

I set aside some time to research different types of wax, wicks, fragrance, color, containers, etc. Our dear friends the Neelys make lovely jar candles to sell, so Jessica graciously offered me some tips and advice on where to start, what to use, etc. I did some further research and decided to use a natural wax! Since we have bee hives, I would like to be able to use our wax some day to make candles. But as our hives are still growing and there isn’t much wax to remove (we only have 2 hives at this time), I discovered a lovely alternative that I’m content to work with for a long time – palm wax! Natural palm wax makes a beautiful candle, that has a frosty outer appearance. It shimmers when you turn it in the light. I’m really happy with the candles I made from the kit I started off with. It included the basic tools I will need in the future, and enough supplies to make 6 votive candles – that was at my favorite craft store, Hobby Lobby, which offers a 40% off coupon you can print off online, like every other week!

For our Christmas party this year, I made a gift to contribute in the gift game we played. I bought a glass jar and chose my dye color, fragrance, wick, etc. I went with CranApple Spice fragrance and a cranberry color. one thing I’ve learned, is that you have to get your color right and then add more dye, because as the candle hardens it lightens up quite a bit. I used a wooden wick, which causes the candle to crackle when you burn it – a really nice added touch! Bethany quilled the little tag! My dad set aside an evening to make the candles with me. I’m always surprised at ALL the things he’s done. He seems to have experience with everything! Yes, he made quite a few candles growing up and has all sorts of neat helpful ideas – like simply using crayons you have on hand to color the candle with, rather than buying dye! Someday (soon!) we are going to make one of his favorite ice-cube candles together.

I’m really amazed at how easy candle making is, and such fun too! I’m going to enjoy this for a long time, and maybe sell them somewhere if I can find a place in town. I’m learning new things all the time and I can’t wait to try other shapes, colors, and fragrances!

Bran Muffins

1 TBSP + 1 tsp Baking Soda

1-15oz package Raisin Bran

5 cups whole wheat Pastry flour

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 tsp Salt

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 Qt Buttermilk

1/2 cups Apple Juice

1/2 cups Apple Sauce

2 TBSP vegetable oil

Combine the liquid ingredients with the dry, and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate over night or for several hours. Bake in greased muffin tins at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: Batter will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

These muffins are low calorie and delicious! If any of you are doing the weight watchers program, the lady who shared this recipe with us discovered that these muffins are only 2 points each!

Enjoy with butter or simply plain…Delicious!

Today was a wonderful project-filled day. What better way to spend your Saturday than doing things  you enjoy with people you love? After the recent passing of our grandfather, we had the opportunity to serve our grandmother, by opening our home to her for three weeks. This morning she left us to fly back to PA. Daddy took the boys and Bethany biking at a park nearby, so Hannah and I kept busy in the kitchen, and Tiny Tim (3) occupied himself in the play room.

One of our favorite desert recipes, uses fresh peaches! We recently picked an abundance of this delicious fruit at a farm in SC, for an amazing price! Since we had plenty on hand and they were ready to be used, Hannah and I decided to make Peach Kuchen! It’s been a while (more than a year) since we’ve had some of this wonderful pie, and it is quite easy to make. We especially love the unique custard-like filling that goes over the cinnamon-sugar peaches.

It’s not often that both of us are baking together at the same time. What a blast we had, measuring, mixing, and making a mess. We definitely need to establish a regular sibling-baking-day.

This weekend we have guests for the Anger Resolution Seminar. They have been coming for several hours each evening, the past few days. We try to bake something special for such occasions, but still needed something today. Since I was already planning to bake cookies for another event, I made extras, enough for our guests. One thing I have learned ~ if Daddy or the boys are home (which is usually the case) I need to plan on making extras. They will be sure to smell them baking…and you can imagine the rest of the story.

We also made a big batch of whole wheat raisin bran muffins for the family. We love to eat them for breakfast because they are relatively healthy, yet still incredibly delicious! We use a recipe from a dear lady, that keeps in the refrigerator for quite a long time, and can be made from time to time as needed. Check back soon for the recipe.

Enjoy this wonderful Saturday with your family!