Red Raspberry Leaf

Aside from it's edible, sweet, delicious fruit, the raspberry plant is also known for it's amazing medicinal properties. The rapsberry leaves are especially beneficial for expectant mothers, and because of the high vitamin and mineral content, these leaves are also an herbal remedy for several other ailments as well!

For pregnancy:

• Red raspberry contains vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, B, C and E, potassium, phosphorus and calcium which make red raspberry leaves a tonic for pregnant women and boost the immune system. 
• The leaves contain carotenoids and alkaloids like fragrine. The alkaloid fragrine tones the muscles of the pelvic region and uterus so they can contract more efficiently during labor, making  the process of delivery easier, faster and less painful!! 
• Red raspberry leaf promotes better blood circulation, eases morning sickness, prevents  postpartum hemmorage, relieves constipation, prevents miscarriages and promotes lactation and bone development for baby. That's alot for a little fruit leaf. 

For Fertility:

• The leaves of the raspberry plant are believed to cure infertility in both men and women. Combining the leaf with red clover leaf can enhance it's benefits for fertility.
• Women with irregular menstrual cycles can take this leaf or tea to regulate their cycle and reduce PMS. 

Other Benefits For Everyone:

• Red raspberry leaves provide relief in diarrhea
• Ideal for treating skin irritation and improves skin firmness
• Prevents dehydration and lowers the level of blood sugar in diabetic patients
• Is used to treat flu, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, fever and rubella

How to Prepare It:
Add 2 teaspoons of red raspberry leaves to 1 cup of boiling water. Allow the leaves to steep for 12-15 minutes to prepare the tea. The tea should be drank hot to get all the best benefits.

I either purchase bulk amounts of red raspberry leaf at the food co-op or order it online from Present Moment Herbs and Books. I store it in an air-tight jar in my cupboard. Every night (pregnant or not) I drink 2 large coffee cups of tea with 1 tablespoon of local honey. Sometimes I'll add peppermint and chamomile to it as well.

I have seen first hand the AMAZING benefits this tea has given me - from firmer skin to producing 'higher yields' in lactaion and easier labor and delivery. It tastes really good too.

Benefits & How To Use Flax Seed

FLAX - the most powerful food on the PLANET!! It has the proven possibility of reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, cholesterol and diabetes. That's a lot of stuff for just a little seed to do!

Check out these benefits!!

Heart Disease:

The #1 killer in America! Helps reduce total cholesterol, LDL levels (bad cholesterol), triglycerides. Reduces clotting time, thereby reducing chance for heart attacks and strokes. Keeps arteries clear and pliable. 

Cancer: 

Flax seed is high in lignans which have anti-tumor properties. Lignans also act as antioxidants that could mirror the results of Tamoxifen, the anti-cancer drug for breast cancer. 

Constipation:
Flax seed's all natural fiber helps absorb water, which softens stools and allow it to pass through the colon quickly. Drink a lot of water when adding fiber to your diet because with out enough liquids fiber can actually cause constipation!

Menopause:
Flax is a phytoestrogen (an estrogen like substance found in plants). These phytoestrogens act as a natural hormone therapy to help stabilize hormonal levels.

Inflammation:
High in Omega-3 essential fatty acids, flax aid in inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.

Immune System:
Flax contains lignans and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), which affect immune cells and compounds that control immune reaction.

Depression:
A diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids decrease the risk of depression and Alzheimer's.

How can you use flax?

• Use it in baking - replace 1/4 to 1/2 c. of the flour with ground flax if the recipe calls for more than 2c. 
• Use it in cooking - meatloaf, beef stew, meatballs, chili, chicken parmesan or enchilada's.  Use 2-4TB.
• Use it everyday - in your oatmeal, smoothies, soup or yogurt. 
• Whole flax keeps longer - store in freezer for up to a year.

I like to keep a canning jar full of ground flax in my fridge for quick use on salads, cereal, hamburgers and...well,  I pretty much put a tablespoon or so in everything I cook!! Shhhhh, it's a secret!!

Choco-Cherry Grahams

Choco-Cherry Grahams are a kitchen creation! These are a super easy, fun snack for you and the kids. They would also be a nice addition to a children's birthday party... and simple enough to make at a picnic. 

A Decadent Delight!

Graham cracker square

Nutella spread

Maraschino cherries 

Marshmallows

Maraschino cherries are super sweet which gives it a rich flavor alongside the Nutella spread. Nutella is a hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa - tastes a lot like chocolate to me!  

Homemade Kitchen Toys For Infants

It seems that most little babies would rather play with something that ISN'T a toy rather than a real toy. 

Lydia loves to chew on ribbon and random things from the kitchen drawers, so I thought I'd encourage her love of the kitchen and recycle my old stuff by making these fun gadgets. 

Use a hole cutter to make the holes in the nipples and caps

1. baby bottle nipples and rings, cotton ribbon

2. milk caps, water caps, 2 bells, ribbon

3. canning rings, ribbon

These are great to keep in the car for infant entertainment!

Cane Sugar vs. White Sugar

What is the difference between cane sugar and white sugar? Should you be buying cane sugar rather than white sugar? Lets take a look at their differences. 

Cane Sugar

Cane sugar (or raw sugar) is sucrose that's extracted from sugarcane that has not been refined.

Sugarcane is harvested by cutting it above the roots so it is considered a sustainable plant because it will regrow the next season and produce for many years. It's loaded in a transport vehicle and brought to a plant to be processed

At the plant, the sugar cane is put into a machine that twists and turns the stalks to extract the cane juice. The juice is filtered, and then boiled so the water evaporates and the crystals grow. Then the mixture is spun rapidly so the liquid separates from the sugar, then dried. Now you have raw cane sugar.

White Sugar

White sugar is (or refined sugar) undergoes high levels of chemical processing before you buy it.

Refining cleans and purifies the raw sugar. First they remove the liquid layer that builds up around the sugar crystals by mixing it with purer syrup then spun to remove the liquid from the crystals. This also removes the impurities from the sugar. But the liquid still has more particles that need to be removed by a process called carbonation. Small pieces of chalk are mixed in with the liquid, the particles are drawn to them and then removed.

The color is removed either by being burnt off by carbon or an ionic resin. Then  it's boiled and spun again to remove further liquid. The result is white, refined sugar. The liquid byproduct is molasses.

Facts:

• Raw sugar is minimally processed making it a natural product and easier for your body to digest. 
• Raw sugar is more healthful than refined because there are no chemical additives. 
• Raw is more expensive and has a distinctive taste.
• Raw sugar supports a more sustainable industry.
• Refined is mass produced and less expensive.
• Refined is chemically processed.

The fact is, I have both! I bake with refined and use raw for beverages and some recipes. In a perfect world I would use raw for everything but my budget is tight, so I use both!

Chunky Chicken Rooster Tails!

Inspired by yesterdays visit to the farm 

these eggs were filled with goodness.

A fun way to get the picky one to eat lunch...

and he ate it all except the carrots!

 HB egg shell

Handful of chuncky chicken

cheddar cheese

carrots

cherry

Bologna Days!

People from around the state drive to Genola Minnesota every Wednesday to the Red Rooster Bar for Bologna Day's. It's quite the 'to do'. The old ladies get all dooker'd up and all the men are excited to eat ring bologna on white bread!

Grab a flimsy paper plate, a plastic fork and wait your turn to load up with as much horseradish, ketchup, white bread, baked beans and ring bologna! No knives, so be sure to bring your own pocket knife. The beer is ice cold and the old time polka band is playin' loud.

It's as if they're giving away free beer it's so crowded! You may even find the local Priest peeling back the bologna skins. And although it's all you can eat, you'll want to get there early so you can be first in line!!

Puddin' Pops!

Old toy, new fun! 

A while ago my Mom gave me our old 'Frozen Dessert Kit' and every once in a while on these hot days we use it. Today we made 'puddin pops'! 

Fun Facts about Jell-O!

Kraft foods sells more than a million packages of Jell-O each DAY!

Fruits that sink in Jell-O: seedless grapes and fruits in heavy syrup like fruit cocktail, peaches, pears etc. 

Fruits that float in Jell-O: fresh fruit like bananas, citrus sections, sliced peaches, apples and fruit in light syrup. 

Jell-O came out with a cola flavored Jell-O but it was dropped the following year. Original flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry and raspberry. 

Jell-O is America's most famous dessert. In fact it was once considered a very decadent dessert and served by the upper class. They used fancy Victorian molds to create desserts that were both beautiful and tasty. 

Fun Stuff!!

Baked Potato Kabobs

Quick, simple and tasty - baked potato kabobs. 

Ever hear of such a thing?  

This morning I dug a few red spuds from the garden and had big plans to somehow grill them...but I ran out of time. So instead I smothered them with EVOO, sprinkled a handful of parsley and sea salt on them, poked a few holes and threw them in the microwave for 10 minutes (I realize I probably killed all nutrients!). After 10 minutes I strung them on a kabob stick and put them on the grill for 5 minutes so I could still get that grilled flavor. 

This was a really quick way to get the potato's done in the amount of time it took to grill the steaks. 

Rare Cookbooks Worth $$

You probably have them on your shelf - old, vintage or antique cookbooks. Did you know they could be worth money! Many people are now selling their rare cookbooks to to cookbook collectors and making hundreds of dollars at it!

Some collectors collect in one category like chocolate cookbooks. Many are looking for old vintage Betty Crocker cookbooks from the 1950's or 1960's. And some don't have to be very old to be worth a lot.

Check the Internet for the value of your cookbook. The Faded Giant book database lets you search the value of specific texts. Search using title and author. You can also do general searches using the term 'cookbook'.

Rubus Occidentalis

Or more commonly known as Black Raspberries - the 'king of berries'! 

Black Raspberries have one of the highest antioxidant ratings among the common fruits and berries and they are right here...growing wild in my back yard! 

Black raspberries have around 40% more anti-cancer power because high amounts of anthocyanins they contain - the natural compounds which gives them their black color. 

1 cup of black raspberries provides 60% of the days requirements of vitamin C. 1 cup also provides 7 grams of fiber!

Our fence line is loaded with these wild raspberry plants and since they're fresh season is Minnesota is July 1st - July 21st we only have about another week to pick!  

Gingerbread Eggs and Freezer Jam

We had fun in the kitchen this morning! Gingerbread man eggs and heart shaped jelly bread were on the menu! This was a great way to get Daniel to eat this morning. Some days he tends to be really stubborn about eating breakfast, but not today. 

This nummy strawberry freezer jam is from last years pick of strawberries from an organic berry farm. Freezer jam is super easy to do and takes very little time and effort. All you need is ripe fruit, sugar, water and a box of fruit pectin. Mash, mix, pour and freeze!

Cabbage Hotdish??

I recently switched to grocery shopping once per month rather than each week. It's has helped me become more resourceful, right down to the bag of old cabbage in my ridge. It had been there for about 3 weeks in it's sealed bag, still in good shape. I found a cabbage recipe in a church cookbook and curiously whipped up 'Cabbage Hotdish'.

It didn't have a name in the cookbook other than 'hotdish' and I wasn't about to tell my family what was in it but it turned out excellent and healthy and they gobbled it up!!

Ingredients:
1# Ground Beef (I used 1 1/2 #)
1 medium onion
1/2 c. uncooked rice. (I used 1 c. leftover cooked brown rice)
1/2 head cabbage (I used 3/4 of the 16oz. bag)
1 - 15oz. can tomato sauce (or 2 small cans)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (I used 1/4 tsp crushed garlic from my freezer)
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. tomato juice (I used 2c. V8 vegetable juice)

Brown the beef. Layer the beef, cabbage, sauce, rice and onion in 2-qt casserole dish. Repeat layers. Mix garlic with pepper and juice; pour over top. Cover. Bake 350 for 1 1/4 hours. (I just put everything into the crock pot on high for 3 1/2 hours or so). Easily serves 5 or more.

Did you know CABBAGE is a SUPERFOOD!! It's FULL of vitamin C - more than Oranges!! Vitamin C is the best anti oxidant that reduces 'free radicals' in your body which are the basic cause of ageing! It also helps in treating ulcers, certain cancers, strengthens your immune system and fights against cough and cold! What a great reason to 'eat your cabbage'! 

5 Days of Fasting....sort of

On Sunday we arrived back at our house after 2 months of constant running around; 5 weddings, 2 baby showers, 1 bridal shower, California visitors, holiday parties...the list goes on and on. Each week I'd shop for food for the weekend, mow lawn, pack clothes, wrap gifts, print maps, prepare meals, load the car AND be a mom and wife. It's been insanely busy. Sooo, I decided that I would 'fast' from going anywhere this week.

"and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years old, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" Luke 2:37

Today is Saturday and I have completed my 5 day fast!! It was easier than I thought! It was a week of reflection to realize what's really important, like reading His word and sitting at His feet each day BEFORE anything else!

I also got tons of stuff done like all the clothes is washed, folded AND put away, both the bathrooms are sparkly clean, this blog is up and running, balanced wholesome meals were made, there was no stress of trying to get the kids out of the house and the garden thanked me for plucking it's produce!! What a great week! 

So, like Anna, the widow of about eighty-four years old, I give THANKS to the Lord for what he has allowed me to accomplish this week!   

From Pizza Pie to Mud Pie!

Growing up on a farm there were always mud pies made after a good rain. There were also a lot of cow pies to watch out for!! So just like when I was a kid, we grabbed moms good pie pan, ran outside and found a pile of mud to dig around in. Filled up the pan, found a few pretty rocks and 'waahlaah', the best ever mud pie!

"The red rocks are strawberries, the yellow rocks are banana's and the ones with black spots are pepper!" 

Such imagination!!

Hours after a huge Thanksgiving dinner last year at my in laws house, my Mother-in-law pulled out two big chocolate pudding pies that my husbands Grandma made. They were so scrumptious and the best part was the CRUST!! So I asked Grandma the recipe and she rattled it off:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp salt

That's it! She said she makes a few at a time and has them in the freezer for when unexpected guests come over, then she just whips up some pudding and 'waahlaaah', the best pudding pie ever!!

Pizza Inspirations

Not all pizza's are made in the kitchen! On those yucky rainy days we always find ourselves in the craft corner of the basement. This craft was inspired by last nights dinner with my parents. Thursdays are usually leftover night but instead we ordered pizza! What a treat!!

List of ingredients:
1 cardboard pizza board
18 rectangle cardboard cutouts for a thick hand-tossed crust
Red paint for sauce
1 sponge for painting
Handful of brown or black pom poms for sausage
Handful of shredded yellow, orange and white construction paper for cheese
10 red felt circles for pepperoni
10 pink felt squares for Canadian bacon
6 green foam circles for green olives
5 brown buttons for mushrooms
craft glue

Daniel is very orderly so he made his pizza half and half without even knowing it! All the mushrooms are together, all the peps, and the sausage....it was really hard to sit back and not scatter them!

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

With a picky toddler at home, I make a lot of hard boiled eggs because it's one thing he will eat! He still wont eat the yolk but he will eat the rest of it. I received an egg timer as a gift few years ago and it has become one of the most popular kitchen tools I have.

It looks and feels like a paper-weight. I just put the timer in the water with the eggs and it begins to darken as the eggs cook indicating how hard they are boiled. No more kitchen timers or guessing games!

What's in YOUR fridge?

Are you as curious as I am when it comes to other peoples refrigerators?! My mother in law for instance, as an exceptionally clean fridge and the items in it might even be in alphabetical order! Her freezer is the same way! What a great quality to have!

This year we switched from plastic storage containers to the Pyrex glass containers to store food. There's just something about plastic that I don't quite trust. The Pyrex is nice because I can throw the leftovers right into the microwave with out transferring to a glass plate. Plus they just look nice in the fridge!

Here's my fridge today! It's always organized the same. Condiments on the top (pickles etc.) Drinks on the middle shelf. Leftovers on the 3rd shelf. Tortilla's, small ketchup packets, dressing packets etc. in the drawer. Eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt and fruits on the bottom shelf. Produce in the 1st drawer and lunch meats and cheeses in the bottom drawer. If we're gone for a long weekend I toss the bread, buns, banana bread and muffins in there too.

So what's in YOUR fridge?

Mini Cornmeal Pancakes

We make toddler style cornmeal pancakes about every 2 months. This is a nice, healthy alternative to the basic pancake recipe. I found this winner a while ago in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. It makes a huge batch so we eat few and freeze the rest in a Ziploc. When I need a quick breakfast I take a few out, break the frozen cakes into pieces and toss them in the micro for a few seconds. Breakfast is served in less than 3 minutes!

The recipe calls for 1/4 c. maple syrup which I substitute with local honey. They become less sweet, but when you eat them with syrup, you don't notice.

Days Gone By...

Like a car coming to a screeching stop -- errrrrt!! Everything gets put on the back burner when a baby is born. Lydia Rose was born in January. And just this week I began cooking again! Previously its been  what I like to call 'plastic meals' - quick easy meals. Dont get me wrong they are still somewhat homemade, I refuse to buy anything in a box (except mac and cheese - Annies style). It feels good to get back in the produce section. I missed my rainbow soups and homemade sauces.

Peas, beans and potato's were harvested this week from my backyard oasis. My garden, of which I call 'the lush emerald' has amazed me with what it can produce considering it's circumstances; sandy soil, lack of fertilizer, lack of love, lack of water and abundance of weeds! It gains it's name from the beauty it produces considering the lush layer of weeds.