This week I’ve made some nutritional upgrades to my menu, though I don’t know how immediately apparent it will be just looking at my menu. I want to increase the amount of coconut oil and bone broths we eat daily and minimize grains and flours. Instead of grains as a side dish, I’ll be increasing the amount of vegetables served with the meals, in addition to regularly serving fermented vegetables with the lunch and dinner meals.
I do some of this to a degree but not nearly as much as I’d like to, and now is a good time to improve our nutritional habits since I’m easing back into actively running things. I’ve been sleeping late in the mornings, and breakfast hasn’t always been what’s planned but what is quick (oats with milk and eggs are our typical easy breakfasts). For that reason we haven’t been soaking flours before using them since to do that you have to prepare ahead, and we’ve gotten into the habit of using the freshly ground flour as is. There are worse things a person could eat, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
I’m also noting in the menu the fruit and milk/kefir being served with breakfast, as well as the vegetables being served with the other meals (though I don’t generally plan which vegetables to serve until the night before – it often depends on what most needs to be used). I realize that leaving that out gives the impression that our meals are more sparse than they are.
Sun – breakfast – shakes; lunch – green popcorn; dinner – turkey hash, roasted yams, peas and carrots
Mon – b – coconut pudding, cherries, milk; l – cauliflower quiche (double recipe), sliced tomatoes sprinkled with fresh oregano; d – zucchini beef bake, brown rice
Tues – b – banana/peanut butter shakes; l – cauliflower quiche, Mexican corn and peppers; d – Avgolemono (Greek egg-lemon soup), falafel balls, Israeli salad
Weds – b – breakfast tacos, kefir, fruit; l – green beans and potatoes with sour cream; d – stuffed cabbage soup
Thurs – almond blueberry muffins, milk, fresh pineapple; l – stuffed cabbage soup; d- CORN (clean out refrigerator night)
Today I’m planning to soak the raw pecans I bought a few days ago, and then they can dehydrate overnight. I’ll soak some flour for banana bread, and hopefully get some fermented vegetables going – I want to try a couple of new recipes. I’m pretty wiped out today, though, and the 5 oldest kids are out, so what I want to do and what I actually do may end up being very different. 🙂
Avivah
Do you use whey to soak your flour? Just curious, since I would like to find something to add to soaking items that doesn’t make them milchig. I soak legumes in warm water with a bit of vinegar, but adding vinegar to oatmeal and baked goods doesn’t always work with the flavor intended. Maybe sourdough starter could also be used, I guess, but I haven’t tried that except when making bread.
When I started soaking grains for breakfast I started making dairy meals a lot more. That’s because the kids didn’t like the flavor of oats or baked goods soaked with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. I didn’t mind it much but they were vociferous about their opinion. I could have used a smaller amount and I think it would have been a more subtle flavor. BUt it was easy enough to use something that they liked the flavor of, so I did. I generally use yogurt or kefir and we all like the flavor; I don’t usually use whey only because I don’t usually have it around but right now I have a huge amount so that’s what the flour is soaking in tonight.
How do you soak flour and what is the benefit in doing so?
How do you make kefir?
Can you post some of the recipes of the fermented vegetables you’re making?
I second the request for the fermented recipes! I just made a batch of sauerkraut, ginger carrots, and dill pickles. I also made beet kvass.
We have loved the lemon blueberry muffins you posted awhile back, but I don’t want to make it again until I know how to soak it. Have you ever soaked the flour for those muffins? Also, if you soak the flour in the almond blueberry muffins, could you post that recipe as well? I tend to make a baked good type of breakfast for friday mornings and double it so we have a healthy dry cereal alternative for Shabbos mornings. Thanks
>>How do you soak flour and what is the benefit in doing so?<< http://vibrantmoms.com/nutrition/soaking-grains-flours-beans-and-seeds/
>>How do you make kefir?<< http://vibrantmoms.com/nutrition/making-kefir/
>>Can you post some of the recipes of the fermented vegetables you’re making?<<
I so far have used the Nourishing Tradition recipes, and then I adapt them to our tastes,but I don’t have exact details of how I changed it. I’ll share the new recipes I make if they turn out well.
>>We have loved the lemon blueberry muffins you posted awhile back, but I don’t want to make it again until I know how to soak it.<<
I’m so glad you liked it!
>>Have you ever soaked the flour for those muffins?<<
I can’t remember if I did or not, but generally I’ve found muffin recipes turn out great with soaked flour. The way I would adapt it is to replace the cup of milk called for with 1 c. of filtered (ideally) water and 1 T. of whey, or 1 c. of yogurt thinned so that it pours like milk, about 50/50 water/yogurt mix.
>>Also, if you soak the flour in the almond blueberry muffins, could you post that recipe as well?<<
There’s only almond flour in that recipe, no wheat flour. That’s something new I’m trying now, to use less flour and oats. I’m thinking it might be good to soak the nut flour, though, since I bought it already ground so I won’t be soaking and dehydrating it. I’ll have to try it with soaking and try it without soaking and see how it turns out.
>>I made lacto-fermented veggies, and my sauerkraut came out awesomely. My cucumbers rotted though. Do you know why that would be?<< Did you weight your cucumbers down so that they stayed covered with the brine? Cabbage is heavy enough that it stays down, but cucumbers will float to the top of the jar. If they aren't submerged, mold or slime will grow since there's no preserving agent all around it- I've had it happen, too (to 5 jars that I made at the same time :(). To keep them submerged you can fill a plastic bag with water and place it on top of the veggies. Good luck next time - we love how the pickles turn out!
Thanks for your reply! My kids felt the same way about the vinegar-soaked oatmeal. Maybe I will try using a smaller amount and see how it goes.
Thanks for the advice on the pickles!
Shakes for breakfast are my favorite things. What do you put in yours?
I generally like to put in either yogurt or milk or leben, whatever soft fruit i have in the house, like strawberries, grapes, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, etc… bananas (preferably frozen, but non frozen is also ok), and lately i’ve also been adding wheat germ, whole sesame seeds, and flax seeds. Depending on the sweetness of the fruit i either may or may not add some sort of thing to sweeten it. It comes out delicious.
I’m always looking for new ideas though for new types of shakes.