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{The Cottage Mama}
Plans Her Menu
fall & winter edition
by Kristy Howard
© 2013 | All rights reserved. The Cottage Mama Plans Her Menu| littlenaturalcottage.com 3
To MeMe,
who taught me to savor this season, that wearing an apron somehow makes your food taste better, and that celebrating the little things makes them big things 4
{6 Ways to Celebrate Meal Time in the Winter}
Gather as a family around your meal table.
Turn off the computer, television, cell phones, and other electronic distractions and focus on your loved ones!
Light two or three tea light candles at the table, or somewhere nearby.
Grab a pretty apron to wear while you cook and serve your meal.
Serve warming dishes, such as soups, creamy casseroles, steamed vegetables, and savory sauces.
Enjoy a cup of hot herbal tea or coffee after your meal. 5
Look for these helpful features throughout this ebook:
{Time Saving Tips}
{Frugal Habits}
{Whole Food Hints}
{Allergy Helps}
{Kristy Says} 6
“Make a change today that will serve you for many more years.”
Emilie Barnes 7
{Contents}
The Menus at a Glance
{Week One}
Grocery & Pantry List
Sunday: Homemade Chicken Parmesaign Crunchy Tossed Salad Monday: Toasted Sesame Salmon Parmesan Cauli & Squash Tuesday: Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice Bouillon-free Creamed Soup Wednesday: Easy Chicken & Dumplin's Thursday: Stovetop Brown Rice & Chicken Friday: Personal Pizzas with Whole Grain, Gluten-free Crust Saturday: Chili Verde
{Week Two}
Grocery & Pantry List
Sunday: Black Beans & Rice with Chicken Monday: Slow Cooker Tomato Bisque Tuesday: Home-style Shepherd's Pie Wednesday: Comforting Winter Soup Thursday: After Christmas Salad Friday: Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie 8
Saturday: Curried Lentils Buckwheat Corn Muffins
{Breakfasts}
Crunchy Cranberry Chia Granola Baked Oatmeal Winter Cream of “Wheat” Pumpkin Spice Waffles German Pancakes (Dutch Babies) Cinnamon Donut Bake
About Whole Foods Resources About the Author Affiliate Program 9
“Take a little time to make ordinary things extraordinary.”
Emilie Barnes 10
{The Menu at a Glance}
Week 1
Sunday: Casserole Homemade Chicken Parmesaign & Crunchy Tossed Salad
Monday: Fish Toasted Sesame Salmon with Parmesan Cauli & Squash
Tuesday: Casserole Chicken, Broccoli & Rice
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Easy Chicken & Dumplin's
Thursday: Skillet Meal Stove Top Brown Rice Casserole
Friday: Pizza Personal Pizzas
Saturday: Slow Cooker Chili Verde
Week 2
Sunday: Casserole/One Dish Meal Black Beans & Rice with Chicken
Monday: Slow Cooker/Soup/Meatless Slow Cooker Tomato Bisque
Tuesday: One Dish Meal/Beef Home-style Shepherd's Pie
Wednesday: Soup/Slow Cooker Comforting Winter Soup
Thursday: Salad/Chicken or Turkey After Christmas Salad
Friday: One Dish Meal/Chicken Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
Saturday: Slow Cooker/Meatless Curried Lentils & Buckwheat Corn Muffins 11
Check your pantry, cabinets, and Grocery & Pantry freezer against this list and mark Check List Wk 1 any products you need to buy.
Meats Dressings/Oils Frozen
Hormone-free chicken thighs or Salad dressings of choice, olive oil Broccoli, peas, corn, breasts, hormone-free chicken fryer, Canadian bacon slices
Grains & Legumes Baking Dairy
Dried lentils, tortillas of choice Baking powder, powdered milk or Raw cheese, eggs, buttermilk or (corn, rice, or wheat), buckwheat for Dari-free powder, milk substitute, whipping cream, flour (for gluten-free), xanthan gum butter (for gluten-free), whole wheat pastry flour, corn meal or arrowroot powder, long grain brown rice, great northern beans
Canned Fresh Produce Pantry/Spices
Organic tomato sauce (chunky or Onions, minced garlic, mushrooms, Soy sauce, pine nuts or sliced smooth) romaine or spinach leaves, cabbage, almonds, chicken broth, oregano, carrots, celery basil, cumin, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, parsley
12
{Week 1}
“Plan your action, keep it simple, and get into motion.”
Emilie Barnes 13
Sunday: Homemade Chicken Parmesaign
I like to put this dish together on Saturday night, cover it, and pop it in the fridge. On Sunday morning, I cook it at 250-degrees for about two hours (while we are at church). Dinner is ready when we walk in the door!
1 package hormone-free chicken breasts or thighs
1 tsp oregano
1 scant tsp basil
2 tsp dried parsley
sea salt & pepper to taste
1 large onion, sliced into “rings”
2 TBSP minced garlic
½ C mushroom slices, canned or fresh
1 (28-oz) can organic chunky tomato sauce
shredded raw Parmesan or cheddar cheese, if desired
Pre-heat your oven to 450-degrees. (Or 250-degrees, if you're going to cook it slow and long on a Sunday morning.)
Place chicken pieces in a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with spices. Arrange onion, garlic, and mushrooms around chicken. Pour tomato sauce over top of chicken and veggies.
Cover loosely with foil or a lid and bake in the oven for 45 minutes; uncover and cook an additional 15 14 minutes, or until juices run clear. Once chicken is cooked, top with freshly grated cheese of your choice.
Serve with a tossed salad and garlic toast, if desired. 15
Crunchy Tossed Salad
Cabbage is generally inexpensive and adds tons of flavor, nutrition, and crunch to your
salads! It also makes your salad go a lot further.
3 C romaine lettuce or spinach leaves, hand torn
3 C grated cabbage
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 C frozen organic sweet corn
½ C thinly sliced celery
toasted almonds or pine nuts
Toss all ingredients and serve in a pretty serving bowl. Drizzle with your favorite dressing before serving! 16
Monday: Toasted Sesame Salmon with Parmesan Cauli & Squash
I buy wild-caught salmon at Aldi's! If you're not a fan of salmon, or if it's not affordable
in your area, substitute the salmon for wild caught tilapia or other white, flaky fish.
Toasted Sesame Salmon
1 family-size bag wild-caught salmon (about 8 fillets)
butter
3 or 4 cloves garlic
lemon juice
toasted sesame oil
sea salt and pepper
If salmon fillets are frozen, thaw in water about an hour before you begin your meal.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat just until hot, then add a few pats of butter. Once butter has melted: add sliced cloves of garlic and cook for about two minutes, then add as many salmon fillets as will fit in your skillet. Cook in butter until fillets are flaky, about 5 minutes on each side. Repeat with remaining fillets.
Remove from skillet to a serving platter. Drizzle generously with lemon juice and toasted sesame oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper corns to taste. Serve with a fresh, green salad and Parmesan Cauli & Squash. 17
Parmesan Cauli & Squash
several pieces yellow neck squash
fresh or frozen cauliflower
butter
fresh Parmesan cheese
sea salt and pepper
Heat butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. While skillet heats, wash and slice enough squash for your family. If you are using a fresh head of cauliflower, wash and remove as many florets as your family needs.
Add veggies to the skillet. I like to scrape a few cooked garlic pieces from the salmon skillet and add them to the vegetables for additional flavor. Stir, then cover and cook 7 or minutes.
When veggies are almost tender, grate enough Parmesan cheese to nicely cover the tops of the veggies. Replace lid and continue cooking until cheese is melted and vegetables are tender. Add sea salt and pepper to taste and serve in a pretty bowl. 18
Tuesday: Chicken, Broccoli & Rice
3 C cooked brown rice
2 to 3 C cooked chicken
3 C fresh or frozen broccoli florets
¼ C minced onions (cooked or dried)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 batches Creamed Soup Base (recipe following)
6 TBSP butter, cubed
shredded cheese
In a 9x-13-inch casserole dish, combine cooked rice and chicken, and broccoli florets. Sprinkle minced onions and spices. Prepare two batches of Creamed Soup Base (4 cups total); pour over casserole and stir to combine. Top with cubed butter.
Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and add shredded cheese over the top. Cook an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. 19
Bouillon-free Creamed Soup Mix
If you have wheat or milk allergies, creamed soups are a big no-no! This recipe is
simple to throw together, and is much healthier than canned soups. Use Vance's Dari-Free
powder (available online) if you are allergic to dairy products.
2 C organic powdered milk or Dari-Free powder
¾ C cornstarch or arrowroot powder or flour of choice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP dried parsley
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
Blend all ingredients until well combine. Store in an air-tight container or jar.
To use: Combine 1/3 C of Creamed Soup Mix with 1 ¼ C chicken, beef, or vegetable stock. One batch equals 1 15-oz can of creamed soup. 20
Wednesday: Easy Chicken & Dumplin's
This is my family's favorite way to enjoy chicken and dumplings! It super quick to
prepare and tastes so yummy! I buy rice tortillas at Trader Joe's.
Whole chicken fryer, uncooked
twelve brown rice tortillas
one medium onion, chopped
several stalks of celery, diced
1 TBSP organic cornstarch or flour dissolved in 1 C of water
In a large saucepan or pot, boil the chicken until cooked (be sure to save the broth!). Once chicken is thoroughly cooked, cool and remove skin and bones. Dice and cube chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.
Saute onions, celery, and garlic in 1 or 2 TBSP chicken broth. Add vegetables and tortillas pieces to your big pot of chicken broth and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. (If you like lots of dumplings, use even more tortillas!) Salt and pepper to taste, then add chicken pieces. Stir in thickener and water and boil approximately 15 more minutes, or until thickened. Spoon into serving bowls and serve hot. 21
Thursday: Stove Top Brown Rice & Chicken
1 C brown or sweet rice
2 C chicken broth plus 1 C filtered water
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping C peas
3 small carrots, peeled and shredded
sea salt and black pepper
½ C heavy whipping cream
1 TBSP soy sauce
2 C cooked, chopped chicken
1 C shredded raw cheese
Place uncooked rice in a large cast iron skillet and warm for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add chicken broth and water, then add vegetables and sea salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat; cook (without removing the lid!) for about 40 minutes, until rice is tender.
While rice cooks: in a glass measuring cup, combine whipping cream and soy sauce. Once rice and vegetables are done cooking, fold in cooked chicken and pour sauce over everything. Top with shredded cheese and gently heat just until chicken heats through and cheese melts. Remove from heat and serve with a tasty salad or as a one-dish meal, if desired. 22
Friday: Personal Pizzas with Whole Grain, Gluten-free Crust
Most Friday evenings are pizza night at our house! I love being able to make
healthy, quick, homemade pizza crusts with Shoshana's Gluten-free Flour Mix recipe!
2 1/4 C water, approx. 110-degrees
2 TBSP SAF yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 TBSP ground flax seed
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
6 C Shoshana's Glute-free Flour Mix
2 TBSP xanthan gum
In a small glass bowl, combine warm water and yeast; let sit until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine about half the gluten-free flour and remaining ingredients; add yeast mixture. Work in enough remaining flour to form a smooth, workable dough. Knead just until dough is soft and smooth (not too sticky).
Divide dough in half, then pinch off 8 balls of dough per batch (for a total of 16 balls). Roll out dough into round mini crusts on baking sheets (use an oiled rolling pin). You should end up with four baking sheets with four mini crusts each.
Dust crusts lightly with freshly ground corn meal. Bake in a 475-degree oven for about 7 minutes, until very lightly browned. 23
Remove from oven, turn heat down to 450-degrees, and top crusts with desired sauce and toppings. Return to oven and bake until pizzas are done, about 10-12 additional minutes.
I prepared this large recipe in two batches, with two pans of mini pizzas each. While the first batch bakes, I roll out the dough for the second batch. You can always cut the recipe in half if you don’t need such a large batch of crust.
About Shoshana's Gluten-free Flour Mix:
This recipe is one Shoshana Easling, owner of Bulk Herb Store, shared in her book, Making Babies. I grind my own grains to make this flour and find that it works beautifully in nearly all recipes that call for wheat flour.
You can read a DIY tutorial and get the recipe here:
http://www.littlenaturalcottage.com/shoshannas-gluten-free-flour-mix-recipe/ 24
Saturday: Chili Verde
This is my Aunt Krystle's recipe. We request it every time we visit her home in the Ozarks!
4 C chopped, cooked chicken
5 cans Great Northern Beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
½ C diced green chilies (canned or fresh)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
6 C chicken broth
sea salt & black pepper to taste
In a cast iron skillet, saute onion in olive oil until tender. Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for several hours. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with shredded raw cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.
-recipe by Krystle Smith 25
{Week 2}
“Never have an Ordinary Day.”
Emilie Barnes 26
Check your pantry, cabinets, and freezer against this list and mark Grocery & Pantry any products you Check List Wk 2 need to buy.
Meats Dressings/Oils Frozen
Hormone-free chicken fryer, Salad dressings of choice, coconut Broccoli, favorite veggies Beef, ham or turkey (optional) oil
Grains & Legumes Baking Dairy
Dried lentils, tortillas of choice Baking powder, baking soda Cheese, eggs, milk or almond milk, (corn, rice, or wheat), buckwheat for butter flour (for gluten-free), xanthan gum (for gluten-free), whole wheat pastry flour, corn meal or arrowroot powder, long grain brown rice
Canned Fresh Produce Pantry/Spices
Organic tomato sauce (chunky or Onions, minced garlic, green and Maple syrup, stevia, honey, dried smooth), organic crushed tomatoes, red oak lettuce (or romaine lettuce), cranberries, pecans or walnuts, sea black beans, coconut milk, green cabbage, carrots, celery, avocados, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili’s, beef and chicken broth. red potatoes onion powder, curry, oregano, basil Worcestershire sauce 27
Sunday: Black Beans & Rice with Chicken
1 C uncooked rice
2 C filtered water
2 C organic chunky tomato sauce
1 C cooked black beans
¼ C diced green chilies, canned or fresh
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 C cooked, chopped chicken
sea salt & black pepper to taste
shredded raw cheddar cheese
tortillas & avocado slices
Preheat oven to 425-degrees.
Place all ingredients into a glass 9x13-inch baking dish. Gently stir and then cover with foil. Cook in oven for one hour. Top with grated raw cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with warm tortillas and avocado slices, if desired. 28
Monday: Slow Cooker Tomato Bisque
Our family has enjoyed this recipe for several years. It is hands-down our favorite tomato soup recipe! Left-overs make a great starter for tomorrow's meal, so be sure and save any extras.
1-14 oz can organic diced or crushed tomatoes 1 TBSP onion powder 4 tsp garlic powder 3 TBSP basil 1 TBSP oregano sea salt and black pepper to taste 1-28 oz can organic tomato sauce 4 C beef broth 3 TBSP maple syrup 3 TBSP worchestershire sauce 1 coconut milk 3 TBSP butter
Add diced or crushed tomatoes to a stock pot and heat over medium heat. Add herbs and spices, except sea salt and pepper; stir and heat until well amalgamated. Add tomato sauce, beef broth, maple syrup, and worchestershire sauce. Whisk together. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. To thicken the soup a little, I like to add about 1 teaspoon of either glucomannan or arrowroot powder at this point.
Once the soup thickens a little, add coconut milk and butter. Stir and heat just until well blended.
Our family enjoys this soup with either grilled cheese sandwiches, wraps, or a tossed salad. 29
Tuesday: Home-style Shepherd's Pie
Comfort family food on a dime!
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 C left over tomato soup
3 or 4 large red potatoes, or 5 or 6 medium ones
milk (or chicken broth) and butter
I usually begin the mashed potatoes before I start the meal for this dish. Simply wash and quarter the potatoes (don't remove the skins!), and cook them in boiling water until tender. Drain off most of the water; mash with a little reserved water, milk, and butter until creamy and smooth. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Brown beef and onions in a skillet until meat is no longer pink. Stir in left-over Tomato Soup; simmer and cook until mixture thicken, about 7 or 8 minutes. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes. (You can either spread them evenly over the meat mixture, or spoon them into 1/2- cupful dollops.)
Bake, uncovered, at 350-degrees for 30 minutes. 30
Wednesday: Comforting Winter Soup
Growing up, my mom served our family this soup often during the winter months. The savory flavors of this soup are comforting, but so are the warm memories!
1 head of cabbage, torn into pieces 4 or 5 organic carrots, chopped 1 large onion, diced 4 C ham, cubed (or turkey ham, or chicken, if you prefer) 2 quarts chicken broth salt & pepper to taste
In a large pot, bring 2 quarts broth to boil. Add cabbage, carrots and onion; boil on high for 8 to 10 minutes, then reduce heat. Add ham and let simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir occasionally, adding additional water if needed. Salt and pepper to taste. 31
Thursday: After Christmas Salad
Here's a good way to use up all that left-overs turkey after the holidays!
green and red oak lettuce leaves
1 to 2 C grated cabbage
2 boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 celery stalks, finely diced
¼ C cubed cheese
2 to 3 C cooked turkey
1 small carrot, peeled
½ dried cranberries
½ coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
In a glass serving bowl, layer hand-torn lettuce leaves and grated cabbage. Gently fold in chopped boiled eggs, diced celery, cubed cheese, and cooked turkey. With a vegetable peeler, create carrot “ribbons” and arrange over the salad. Top with dried cranberries and chopped nuts. Enjoy with your favorite salad dressing and serve along side a bowl of soup and a slice of homemade bread. 32
Friday: Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
What could be more comforting than pot pie on a cold day?
4 C veggies (green beans, carrots, broccoli, etc) 1 small chopped onion 4 to 5 C cooked and cut up chicken Bouillon-free Creamed Soup Base 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp basil 1 tsp garlic powder
Topping: 2 C Shoshana's Gluten-free Flour Mix 2 tsp xathan gum 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp basil 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 C coconut oil (or butter) 1 C shredded cheese 2 eggs, beaten 1-1/2 C water
Cook vegetables and onions just until tender; I prefer to steam them, since it preserves much of the natural nutrients and taste. 33
While veggies are cooking, prepare Bouillon-free Creamed Soup Base.
Once vegetables and onions are tender, place in a 13×9-inch casserole dish along with cooked chicken. Add spices to Soup Base, then pour sauce over vegetable mixture. Stir until well combined.
To prepare biscuit topping: mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl. Cut in coconut oil or butter with a pastry cutter, or mix in with your fingers. Mixture should resemble coarse meal. Add cheese and stir. Add eggs and water. Stir until a moist dough forms. Spoon biscuit dough over vegetable and chicken mixture. I like to pat dough out into mostly round “biscuits”, then lay them over the top of the casserole.
Bake at 400-degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. 34
Saturday: Curried Lentils
2 (16-oz) bags lentils
one splash of organic soy sauce or worchestershire sauce
3 or 4 medium carrots, shredded
1 or 2 heaping tsp curry powder
1 tsp onion powder
sea salt and black pepper
1 TBSP minced garlic (fresh or from a jar)
3 to 4 quarts liquid (part beef broth and part water)
Sort and rinse lentils under cold running water. Add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high until tender, about 4 hours. (add additional broth or water, if needed). Serve with a salad or Buckwheat Corn Muffins. 35
Buckwheat Corn Muffins
I buy buckwheat in bulk from our Azure Standard co-op and grind it into flour in the NutriMill. Freshly ground buckwheat tastes so much better than the store-bought flour, which is generally pretty bitter.
1 C freshly ground Buckwheat flour 1 C organic corn meal (freshly ground, if possible) 2 tsp baking powder 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum ½ tsp sea salt 2 eggs 1 ¼ C buttermilk or almond milk ¼ C oil or melted butter ¼ C honey stevia (optional)
If you're grinding your own fresh flour and corn meal, a heaping ¾ cup of hulled buckwheat groats and organic popping corn will yield about a cup of flour and a cup of corn meal. Just process each in a high powered blender (for one minute) or process the grains through a grain mill.
Beginning with wet ingredients, add all ingredients into a blender and process for about one minute. (Batter will be smooth but thick.) If you'd like to add a touch of sweetness to the muffins, sprinkle in a dash of powdered stevia and pulse two or three times.
Spoon batter into oiled muffin cups and bake in a preheated oven at 375-degrees until muffins are done, about 12-15 minutes. Yields one dozen moist muffins. 36
{Breakfast}
“Gracious living is felt whether it is created in small or big ways.”
Emilie Barnes 37
Crunchy Cranberry Chia Granola
My sister served our family this delightful breakfast one November morning.
It was an instant favorite!
10 C rolled oats
2 C flaked coconut
½ C chia seeds
dash of sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 to 1 C chopped almonds
½ C xylitol or raw sugar
½ C butter
½ C coconut oil
1 C raw honey
1 to 1 ½ C dried cranberries
In a bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Pour into two 9x13-inch baking dishes.
In a sauce pan, gently melt butter and coconut oil over medium heat. Remove from heat; add raw honey and stir until smooth and well combined. 38
Pour butter mixture over oat mixture in pans; stir to combine. Bake at 325-degrees for 40 to 45, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes. Granola should be golden brown when done.
Remove from oven and add dried cranberries. Store in an air-tight container.
-recipe by Julie Smith, Becoming Lydia 39
Baked Oatmeal
Another of my sister's specialties. We serve this delicious breakfast frequently when we
have over-night guests. We have never had a visitor fail to reach for seconds!
3 C uncooked oats
1/2 – 3/4 C raw sugar
1/2 C butter, melted
2 eggs
1 C almond
1 C water
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
dash of cinnamon
Topping:
1/4 C chopped walnuts or pecans
1 TBSP sugar
dash of cinnamon
dash of sea salt
Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
Mix all ingredients (except toppings) together and pour into 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Layer topping ingredients in order given on top of unbaked oat mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.
-recipe by Julie Smith, Becoming Lydia 40
Winter Cream of “Wheat”
If food allergies keep you from enjoying traditional cream of wheat, I think you'll enjoy this warming, savory hot cereal.
Buckwheat is both gluten-and-grain-free.
¼ C (4 oz) buckwheat, whole
2 C almond milk
1 C water
3 TBSP heavy whipping cream
¼ C honey or sweetener of choice
2 TBSP butter
sea salt, to taste
In a grain mill or food processor, grind buckwheat until very fine.
Combine milk, water, and heavy whipping cream in a medium saucepan; stir in buckwheat. Turn burner to medium heat and stir frequently as mixture heats through. Once cereal begins to warm through and thicken, whisk constantly until desired consistency is reached.
Fold in sweetener, salt, and butter.
Quick Tip: If lumps cannot be whisked out, run cereal through food processor to cream.
Freshly ground buckwheat will yield the best flavor because it quickly spoils; only grind enough for each use. 41
Pumpkin Spice Waffles
1 ½ C Shoshana's Gluten-free Flour Mix
½ coconut flour
½ ground flax seed
½ C sugar cane or xylitol
4 TBSP arrowroot powder
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
3 C unsweetened almond milk
1 C pumpkin puree
3 eggs
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat your waffle iron.
In a mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour, coconut flour, flax seed, sweetener, arrowroot powder, baking powder and soda, and spices; mix until well blended. 42
In a separate bowl, whisk together almond milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla. Fold into dry ingredients; mix just until well blended. Spoon batter onto an oiled waffle iron. Serve waffles with butter and maple syrup. 43
German Pancakes {Dutch Babies}
Probably one of my children's favorite “special” breakfast dishes!
6 TBSP butter, cut into pieces
2 C Shoshannah's Gluten-free Flour Mix
2 additional tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 C water or coconut milk
6 eggs
½ C Sucanat or honey
2 TBSP pure vanilla
Cut butter into a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Place in a 425-degree oven and let butter melt. Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl. Once butter has melted, pour batter over butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pancake is golden brown and begins to puff. 44
Cinnamon Donut Bake
1 C buckwheat, freshly ground
3/4 C sugar cane 1 TBSP ground cinnamon 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp nutmeg 2 eggs, beaten 1 C orange juice 1 C milk or almond milk 1/2 C butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375-degrees and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients; mix well. Add wet ingredients and stir.
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until middle is set. 45
About Whole Foods
I love whole foods. This eBook, like my kitchen pantry, is full of whole food ingredients.
But what are whole foods? And why should we eat them?
Whole foods are food products that have been left in their original, God-given state of being. In other words, whole foods are foods that have not been overly processed, hydrogenated, genetically modified, dyed, sweetened, or otherwise “enriched” with chemicals, preservatives, or additives.
Whole foods can be, but are not necessarily limited to, organic products. In fact, a food can be organic and not truly be a “whole food”. Take organic pop tarts, for example. The ingredients used in this food product are organic (not treated with pesticides or genetically modified). However, pop tarts are a highly processed product, usually containing enriched flours, dyes, and a lot of sweeteners. Hardly a whole food!
Homemade hot cereals, granola, or muffins from freshly ground grains would better qualify as “whole” foods.
Here is a list of whole foods that are commonly used in my kitchen, and called for in my recipe eBooks:
Whole grain flours, such as wheat and spelt, or gluten-free flours (millet, buckwheat, or sorghum). Whole grain flours contain so much more nutritional value than the white, “enriched” flours on the grocery store shelf. If you do not grind your own grains for flour, I recommend Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills brands of flour. 46
Sugar cane crystals and Sucanat. These are two sweeteners that have been left in their natural state. Sugar cane crystals are just that: sugar cane that has been evaporated; the “crystals” are very light “honey” colored granules. Sucanat stands for Sugar Cane Natural, and is very similar to brown sugar in color and taste. You can substitute white sugar with sugar cane crystals and Sucanat cup per cup in recipes.
Maple Syrup is another favorite natural sweeten of mine! It is good in baked goods, smoothies, homemade granola, and on pancakes!
Healthy Oils- I avoid hydrogenated oils, such as margarine, shortening, and vegetable and canola oil. Instead, I enjoy using healthy fats and oils, such as real butter, extra virgin coconut oil, safflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, and palm shortening.
Brown rice and Brown Rice Pasta are delicious alternatives to white rice and pastas, which contain very little (if any) nutritional value. Brown rice cooks up beautifully, especially if it is soaked at least 30 minutes (over night is best!) before cooking. Brown rice pasta is very tender and tasty, and only requires a little additional cooking time compared to white pasta.
Quinoa is a delicious and healthful substitute for brown rice if you're trying to avoid grains. This little “seed” has a tasty nutty flavor and cooks up in a fraction of the time it takes to steam brown rice.
Whole wheat and whole grain pastas are also very healthy and delicious! These are usually less expensive than brown rice pastas, and take a little less time to boil. They have a distinctively delicious taste, but are slightly heavier than white and brown rice pastas. Quinoa pasta is another favorite.
These are just a few of the basics of whole foods cooking! For more information, I encourage you to read Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, and The Naturally Healthy Cuisine, by Shonda Parker. Both of these books are highly informative and helpful resources for the nutritionally minded cook. 47 Resources
• Our family has shopped with Azure Standard's whole food co-op since January 2010. This is where I purchase the majority of our family's grains and bulk foods.
• Amazon.com is a great place to order whole foods. Many products qualify for free shipping!
• For grinding grains, I use and recommend the Nutrimill. • To produce a high quality homemade yeast bread, without all the fuss, I recommend the Bosch Mixer. These sell for around $400; I purchased one for our family off Craigslist.com for $75! Shop around before you buy!
• If you are in need of the gluten-free flour blend and bread recipes cited in this ebook, I highly recommend Shoshannah Easling's book, Making Babies, available at Bulk Herb Store.
• Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills are my favorite choices for store-bought flours. Both brands are available at health stores and a growing number of supermarket chains, as well.
• Nutiva carries an excellent quality of coconut oil (available through Amazon.com) and palm shortening. Both oils are excellent for baked products.
• To learn more about whole foods cooking, I highly recommend Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon; The Naturally Healthy Cuisine; by Shonda Parker; Making Babies cookbook, by Shoshanna Easling; and The Whole Life Nutritional Cookbook, by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.
Check out LittleNaturalCottage.com for whole food recipes, tips, information, and more! 48 About the Author
Kristy Howard is a believer in Jesus Christ, a pastor's wife, and homeschooling mother of five.
She is passionate about living simply, naturally, and Biblically for the glory of God.
Kristy is the owner of LittleNaturalCottage.com, where she furiously writes about her loves during nap time. Her most recent writing projects include Homeschooling Day by Day, The Cottage Mama Plans Her Menu ebook series, and a collaborative work and best-selling title, Trust Your Intuition.
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