DIGGIN IT SUNDAY * 02/19/12

     From the looks of my internet addiction and book pile, I've decided I am an information junkie.  Some days it seems like just too much and I get overwhelmed, and then other days I thrive on all the new ideas coming my way.  So I guess you could say learning has become a built of a guilty pleasure which seems kind of weird to say.  

Anyway, at this moment I am really digging the huge pile of books I am reading, all at once.  Maybe that's the problem, perhaps tackling just one at a time would be more relaxing!

     This year has been so amazing, and so challenging on many levels.  The growth of our family has led to us growing so much as people, parents, siblings, partners and humans.  It was really nice to spend Valentine's Day focusing on the love we have for one another, despite the often craziness of it all. 

 Faegan and I spent the morning making "grain-free" brownies for Scott.  We omitted the chocolate chips and added vanilla extract.  I neither had the ingredients or time to make ice cream so we splurged and made a trip to the market to buy vanilla and chocolate coconut milk ice cream to use as fillings. 

 I was very excited to finally use the heart-shaped ice cream sandwich mold that has been lurking in my kitchen drawer for a couple of years.  I didn't bother telling Scott the brownies were grain-free, because he isn't really on board with the whole no grain thing, so why ruin his idea of a perfect dessert?  He didn't even notice!     

The Sewer's Tool Belt Scott gave me as a Valentine's gift got put to good use this morning as I began work on the Baby Shower gifts for my sister.  He is so great at picking out thoughtful gifts.  

This little gem was made by a local artisan from organic cotton canvas.  My favorite feature is the pin cushion because whenever I sew my pin magnet is never where I need it!  

     Speaking of sewing, I am pretty pleased with the Fabric Beach Ball I made for Jude's first birthday present.  I got to raid my new stash of organic fabric while also using some preloved material I had hanging around to make it.  

It is a wonderful paradox...it feels like we welcomed him into our arms just yesterday while at the same time feeling like it has been a long haul.

 Loving my little boo baa (baby boy) so much!  Loving being able to sew for him too!

     The multiple personality weather lately has been lovingly unpredictable.  One day I am hanging laundry out to dry in the sun, the next we have a winter wonderland.

Hanging the laundry gave me a chance to hang out with our baby goat Nola.  

She is super lonely these days because her momma is on a vacation with her boyfriend, and will hopefully come home pregnant.  Poor thing, she cries all day long.  Hang in there little one, momma will be home soon!

SOAKING

I don't even know where to begin.  Such a huge transformation has taken place in terms of the way I view food, health, the earth, animals, my diet.......wow.  All I can say is READ "The Vegetarian Myth"!

  Lierre Kieth tells a heartfelt tale of her journey from veganism to hardcore environmentally conscious eating, which just happens to mean eating lots of pasture raised meat/dairy, organic vegetables and sustainably caught fish.  After reading this book I made so many more connections between agriculture, environmentalism, and the diseases that plague modern civilization. I've come to realize that relying so heavily on grains as the bulk of my diet is really not a good idea.  So all week I've been off the grain.

This morning I decided to make a breakfast using grain, but instead of making crepes the way I usually do, I soaked the flour in kefir overnight on the counter to reduce the phytic content, which inhibits digestion and assimilation of the nutrients that grains can offer us.  I also made sure to go wheat free, using local organic spelt and buckwheat flours too.  Looks like from now on if I eat grains they will have to be in the form of sourdough breads or soaked/sprouted/fermented.  It has been a huge adjustment, but for now, I am okay with maybe a once a week indulgence instead of my usual everyday addiction.  This has also led to some intense fantasies of living with no electricity on a large piece of land, fishing, hunting, and foraging.  HMMMM not so crazy really.

GALETTES DE SARRASIN

Soaked Buckwheat Crepes

250 g organic buckwheat flour

260 g organic spelt flour (I used light and whole grain)

5-10g sea salt

400 ml organic kefir

200 ml organic whole milk (raw if you can get it)

300ml (or more) water

100 g unsalted organic butter, melted plus more for pan

1 organic egg, lightly beaten

Method:  Sift the flours into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the kefir, stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick, smooth batter.  Add the milk, cover bowl and let sit at room temperature overnight.  In the morning, stir in salt, egg, butter, and enough water to make a batter the consistency of thick cream. 

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.  Add a dab of butter and then pour just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan, tilting and moving the pan to get the batter moving.  Cook the galette quickly until lightly browned on the bottom, then turn it over and lightly brown the other side.  At this point you can add desired fillings, fold, and then serve.

DIGGIN IT SUNDAYS * On a Friday

I was going to wait to post this on Sunday but can't wait that long to share with you what I am into these days.....

I am so happy that I know how to sew.  Even though it took me a long time to actually "get it" (sort of, I am still a huge beginner), I finally do and I am so excited.  Finally, that sewing machine I bought 8 years ago is finally getting some use.  Not a lot of use mind you, what with two children and all.  The funny thing is I rarely buy new fabric.  A friend of mine gave me a bunch of fabric she had leftover from a project of hers and I used that stuff every time I wanted to make something with nice "new" fabric instead of the old sheets, towels, and curtains I usually use.  

So, as you can imagine, I am really enjoying the lovely stash of fabric I recently purchased.  One of the reasons I don't like buying fabric is because it is really hard to find nice, organic fabric at a reasonable price.  I looked and looked online and wasn't really satisified with the selection and/or the prices for shipping.  That is, until I discovered this shop on Etsy that had beautiful organic prints that were pretty reasonable.  

     I am also really loving the organic thread I found online that comes on wooden spools.  I was getting very frustrated with the selection at my local fabric store because all the thread comes on plastic.  Even some organic threads come on plastic spools as well.  So, when I found this shop, I was in un-plastic heaven.  Now I just have to find some time so I can sew some magical gifts for my sister who is expecting her first child in March.

     I am full steam ahead into my holistic nutrition studies and am amazed at how much conflicting information there is out there when it comes to what to eat.  Lately, I lean more toward the current (cutting edge) trend toward eating foods as outlined in Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions", which is chock full of recommendations that totally buck the way most people view nutrition nowadays.  You may be thinking, "Really, like what?"  Well, how about that meat, saturated fats, and raw milk products are actually good for you, and the earth.  Having been a vegetarian for so many years, I sometimes still find it difficult to eat meat, even though I do.  So I am really digging the book "The Vegetarian Myth" right now because it explores meat eating in a whole new way from the perspective of a reformed vegan.  Loving it.

Well, that's it for now.......Happy Sunday!