A MESSAGE FROM PEGGY

I remember when school began the week after Labor Day Weekend. We enjoyed three full months of summer break. Today schools in our area start back up in early August. For that reason alone I can say I’m glad I was a kid in the “good old days.“ There are other great things just around the corner other than getting your kids out of the house again, such as apples and pears coming in season and the promise of less humid weather, and cool breezes. I’m always eager for the change to fall season. Something about it inspires me to re–motivate myself and I seem to want to eat more this time of year.

I was treated to a bag of granny smith apples from a neighbor’s tree last week and decided to get creative in the kitchen to come up with a new recipe. My apple cake was a huge success and I’m sharing it this month. It’s a result of creative thinking and adapting an old church cookbook cake recipe into a healthy version. Jeff and I enjoyed it with heavy cream in the evening and warmed with lots of butter and a drizzle of honey for breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast, which is usually an “on the fly“ meal for me these days, I found several breakfast pastry recipes in my collection recently and have converted them to healthy versions you can try for yourself and your family. Couple them with some pastured eggs, uncured bacon, raw heavy cream in your coffee and you’re off to a great day!

We’re excited to add 4 new products to our web site. Sprouted Black Beans, Sprouted Black Bean Flour, Sprouted Lentils and Sprouted Lentil Flour. Look for new recipes for great soups and side dishes using these new products in upcoming newsletter issues.

Olympian Maria Lamb has shared another inspiring training update for us. Her report can be read in its entirety at her website’s training update. A well–balanced traditional diet includes not only fats, proteins, properly prepared grains (sprouted), veggies and fruits, but our digestive health can greatly improve or maintain by the regular consumption of cultured and lacto–fermented foods. I’ve recommended a link to purchase cultures of all sorts and a link to recipes for fabulous cultured vegetables.

Back to top

• 1 cup muscavado sugar (or sweetener of choice).
• 1 teaspoon baking powder.
• ½ cup coconut oil.
• ½ teaspoon baking soda.
• 2 eggs.
• 1 cup raisins, optional.
• ½ cup maple or coconut sap sugar.
• 1 cup crispy nuts, chopped.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• 1 cup whole fat sour cream.
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg.
• 2 cups sprouted flour (can use gluten or non-gluten flour of choice or a combination).

Mix coconut oil, muscavado sugar and eggs; beat well. Stir in vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of sea salt. Add to wet mixture and mix well. Spread ½ of batter in a greased 9“ pan. Sprinkle raisins on top of batter. Mix maple sugar, spices and nuts and sprinkle ½ of mixture over the raisins. Spread remaining batter over this layer and top with remaining sugar, spice, and nut mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until done.

Back to top

• 1 ½ pounds pork or turkey sausage, crumbled and cooked.
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten.
• 8 slices sprouted bread, cubed (see bread machine recipe).
• 1 ½ cups full fat milk (see baking tips for substitutes).
• 3 green onions including greens, chopped.
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar or cheese of choice.

Cook and drain sausage. Mix with cubed bread and pour into a greased 9x13“ baking dish. Mix milk, eggs and green onions. Pour over bread mixture. Top with cheese. Refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. To serve, cut in generous squares.

Back to top

This recipe makes a great sandwich bread.

• 1 ¾ cups warm filtered water.
• 1 tablespoon to ¼ cup molasses or honey.
• 1 tablespoon sea salt.
• 2–3 tablespoons vital gluten (optional but will get a better rise if using sprouted spelt flour).
• 4 cups sprouted wheat or spelt flour.
• 1 packet of dry active yeast (don’t use rapid rise yeast).

Add all ingredients in the order listed to your bread machine. Set on whole wheat/1.5 lb. loaf/medium crust. Some bread machine settings are limited, so just set the ones you have on your machine.

Remember when bread machines were very expensive and then most folks who purchased one or received one as a gift tried it a couple of times and got rid of it? Well, you can find most of those great machines at your local thrift store for $5–10. Now that’s a bargain, and what the heck if you only use it a couple of times and take it back for the next person. I love my bread machine! It’s simple and easy for making sure I’ve always got fresh sprouted bread in the house.

Back to top

• 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed.
• ½ cup maple sugar (or sweetener of choice).
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon.
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg.
• ¾ cups coconut oil.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups sprouted flour (gluten or non–gluten).
• 3 teaspoons baking powder.
• 2 cups maple sugar (or sweetener of choice).
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt.
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten.
• ½ teaspoon soda.
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons full fat milk (see Baking Tips for substitution)

Peel and chop apples (this cake would be great using pears as well) into a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add ½ cup maple sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to bowl. Toss apples well and set aside. In a large bowl measure flour, 2 cups maple sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir to blend well. Add coconut oil and eggs and stir. Add milk and blend well. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased 9x13“ baking dish. Spoon the chopped apples over the batter. Sprinkle with extra maple or coconut sap sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until done. Great by itself or with whipped cream. Jeff and I even enjoy it warm with butter and honey for breakfast.

Back to top

• www.culturesforhealth.com, Great site for all the cultures you’ll ever need for fermented dairy, cheeses, veggies, sour dough bread, kombucca, kefir waters, etc.
• www.supermilkmama.com ,Ester has a great article on the benefits of cultured vegetables and lots of recipes. We could all stand to apply more TLC to our digestive systems these days.
• Local church and junior league cookbooks – these books always contain great recipes that can easily be converted to healthy versions. Swapping processed flour for sprouted flour, white sugar for a healthier substitute (maple sugar, sucanat, rapadura, muscovado, coconut sap sugar), margarine for butter, Crisco for coconut oil, and corn starch for arrowroot will go a long way to convert cakes, breads, cobblers, cookies, and even fried chicken into yummy treats for the whole family.

Back to top

Racing my bike and
getting back on the ice

It’s been a busy last month of training for me. My coach and I decided adding some bike races into my training schedule would be a fun (and hard) way to get some intensive bike training in. So, I’ve been trying to figuring out the world of bike racing (and finding that while there are some similarities to skating, there are also many differences) and getting back on the ice for the first time since March. All in all, I've felt like a beginner in both areas for the last month! ... (click here to read more)

Back to top