New blog

Hey, everyone,
I'm moving this blog over to http://anneelliott.com/blog/

Come check it out for more recipes and health ideas!
~Anne

Trying a new bread recipe today

I'm excited! I found a new bread recipe online, by Sheri Graham, and I'm trying it right now. Last night I ground up some whole wheat flour, then I put that and some sour milk and water into my Bosch mixer. I'm supposed to let it sit for 12-24 hours, to soak and neutralize those nasty phytates.

I've got a bunch of work to do on here today, so I'll come back later and tell you how it turns out.

Hugs,
~Anne

Accepting Others

Ya know, as we learn new things about eating and health, isn't it tempting to start judging everyone around us? I can't believe they're eating THAT! Don't they know that could KILL them?

Fact is, they either don't know, or they're not at a place in their lives where they've learned to apply that knowledge. Yes, poor choices can harm them. But how can we help them if we're so busy criticizing that we forget to show love, patience, kindness, and especially humility?

Do you remember how you used to be ignorant as well? It wasn't so long ago for me, and honestly, there are many subjects of which I'm still very ignorant. Why have I changed? Because someone took the time to kindly and carefully explain the truth. Sometimes that happened in a book, but even then, the author's attitude was humble and honest.

The Bible says, "...Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing jugment on disputable matters....who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or
falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand....why do you look down on your brother?... Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another ... let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification ... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God" (Romans 14).

Keep them between yourself and God. Not easy to do, is it? Let's live a life of humility, wanting to help others, but not with so much passion that we drive them away.

Hugs,
~Anne

The Author of Health

I spent a bit of time reading in my Bible today. I was wondering about how God heals us... how He uses supernatural powers when He decides to, but He also sometimes chooses to heal us slowly, naturally, much as a tree heals itself from a cut in its bark. Knowing both sides of the healing coin are true, I wondered where doctors and medicine fit into the picture.

Being a lover of The Strong's Concordance, I pulled my hefty beast of a book off the shelf and spread it on the kitchen table. I looked up "physicians." Most of the verses were simply narratives of various characters who needed the services of a doctor. However, a few verses stuck out to me today:

2 Chronicles 16:12-13...
"And [King] Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his diseasew as exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign."

This verse is a reminder to me that in our diseases, we are to seek the Lord first. Physicians are simply tools in the Master's hand, but healing belongs to our God.

If a tree's bark heals, all the other trees of the forest would certainly know that it was God that healed the tree and not the tree's inner wisdom nor the land owner's intelligence. How often do we fail to acknowledge the silent role God plays in our every day lives? His providence. His compassion. His amazing design of our bodies.

Like the woman with the issue of blood, who had suffered many things of many physicians (Mark 5:26), do we reach out with arms of faith to touch a compassionate God?

"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up..." (James 5:14-15).

Amen.

It's been awhile...

It's been over a year since I posted on my blog. What a year it's been! Sickness wiped me off my feet (adrenal insufficiency/hypothyroidism), but praise God, He's helping me feel better every day. I hope to post some of the things I've learned this last year... but not tonight.

What's brewing in my kitchen tonight? Not a lot. I've got plenty of stock in the freezer, some sourdough starter that needs to come out tomorrow and be turned into bread, some yogurt that's calling my name for a bedtime snack, and some Bubbie's Sauerkraut in the fridge! YUMMM!

I got 5th child her own set of miniature pots and pans for Christmas, and she also has her own apron now. How sweet she looks helping me out! She is most content following me around, and I don't really mind. She can load and unload the dishwasher like a pro, and she sure knows when to hop on her stool just in time to lick the beaters. Did I mention she's barely two? What a cutie pie....

Signing off for tonight,
~Anne

Making Stock and Soup Today...

Well, I made stock yesterday. I found a whole chicken in our grocery store that wasn't free-range, but at least it had no antibiotics or growth hormones, plus no injections of MSG-laden broth (usually 15%). It was an improvement, so I brought the poor hen home for my soup pot. :-)

My daughter enjoyed watching me wash the chicken. Then we put it in my BIG stock pot, and we covered it with filtered water (about 1 1/2 gallons). I added a splash of Bragg's apple cider vinegar, covered the pot, and let it sit for an hour or so.

Next, we brought it to boil, then I rem0ved the scum that rose to the top. (This chicken didn't have much scum, which tells me something about the other chickens I'd been using.) Then I added a chopped onion and two chopped carrots. I turned the heat down low, covered it, and let it simmer until this morning.

About an hour ago, I removed all the chicken meat and bones from the pot. The chicken was very tender, so I used tongs to take out all the little bits. Then I put a strainer over an 8-cup measuring bowl I have (Tupperware). I began pouring the stock into the bowl. The strainer caught bits of bones, carrots, onions, and meat that I had missed. When the bowl would get full, I would remove the strainer and pour the broth into wide-mouthed mason jars. I continued until I had strained all the broth. This particular pot of stock yielded 6 quarts of stock. I covered the jars with lids, and they're sitting on my counter cooling right now. When they're cooler, they'll go into my freezer. (I left about an inch at the top of each jar, so that there would be room for the stock to expand in the freezer.)

One of the jars is for lunch, though. I grabbed my small stock pot, and I immediately started this recipe.

4 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 medium potatoes, washed and chopped
1 quart chicken stock
water
thyme (fresh would be nice, but I only have dried on hand)
1 large zucchini, trimmed and choppe
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cream

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, stir, cover, and cook over low heat 15-30 minutes, or until the veggies are soft. Add potatoes, stock, and a few cups of water. Bring to a rapid boil and skim if needed. Reduce heat and add thyme. Cover and simmer until potatoes are soft. Add zucchini and cook until tender. Puree soup with a handheld blender, season with salt and pepper, and add cream. Yum!

We'll be eating this soup, plus warm sourdough bread with butter and honey, plus hunks of parmesan cheese, and cups of raw milk for lunch today. I have some little oatmeal cookies for dessert.

Enjoy!
~Anne

Tidbits...

Well, I'm headed upstairs to soak some oatmeal for breakfast. Sorry that all I'm talking about is oatmeal these days! Grains are my top priority right now, although with Christmas coming, it's going to be tough. There are so many traditional, family recipes that I just don't know how to make healthy. So we'll see what the week holds!

I'm also going to start soaking a little wheat tonight. If I keep wheat soaking all week, by the weekend I should have a sizeable amount to use in Christmas recipes. That's the plan, anyway! :-)

A great recipe blog I found tonight:
http://cookingnt.blogspot.com/

A wonderful catalog I received in the mail this week:
http://www.celticseasalt.com/

'Til next time,
~Anne

Yummy pancakes from leftover oatmeal

Well, I'm not a very good photographer, but I thought you'd enjoy seeing these little pancakes we made from leftover porridge. Put two or three cups of porridge in a bowl, add 4-5 eggs, then fry spoonfuls of this batter in butter or coconut oil. Serve with maple syrup. Yum!

My kids really love this quick and easy version of pancakes. Plus, if I use oatmeal that has been soaked overnight before preparing, well, it's just healthier. Why? Read more about soaked grains at the Weston Price website.

Enjoy!
~Anne