Raw Milk

The days of trusting everything you are told are over. 

In this day and age you will hear EVERY side of every issue and decision you could possibly make. 

The problem is the motivation behind many of those voices and the sophistication with which they bombard you with "facts."

Many of the paths this country has taken that we don't even think to question are amazing and frightening and at the core not in the best interest of society. 

I'll choose just one to share today.

Raw milk.

Pasteurization and homogenization are touted as public safety procedures. 

But what about the other side of those procedures allowing for MUCH wider distribution and ridiculously long shelf life?

Who does this benefit?

Also think about what is going into the bottle (or carton.) If cows have an unhealthy bacteria or other problems, all these things are pasteurized out and the end product is 'safe.' This safety net can allow for much slooppier conditions and health for the cows. 

Ever visit a feed lot?

The milk we drink has to be consumed within a week or it spoils. 

If the cow gets an infection, we don't get milk that week. 

We pay more for our milk. But that is an interesting aspect too; yes, we pay more per gallon for raw milk, but we drink far less of the raw milk because it is more satisfying than the alternative. Our bodies recognize the food, satiation occurs sooner and the brain signals fullness more effectively.

 Yes, we choose raw milk. 

 

My family has been drinking raw milk for over two years. 

We LOVE it.

There is no comparison in taste.  (I'd put more here but I'm fairly certain that Jessica might chime in on the taste difference of raw milk.)

Think water vs. a milk shake.

We have visited the farm and 'met' the grass fed, grazing happy cows and their wonderful owners. 

There are endless articles to do your research all over the web.

Here is a great article.

Or here.

These are both from Natural News a web site I read often. 

Very Berry Whole Wheat Bread Pudding

We do a lot of breakfast posts, I have noticed.  I think it is because, for my part anyway, in the war of healthy eating, breakfast is a battlefield on which I have a clear advantage.  People (and by people I mean Benjamin, my six-year old warrior in the fight for all carbs, all the time) are far more open-minded to healthy foods when their tummies are empty. Breakfast is the meal in which I have the greatest chance of success with my picky eater.  It is also, as we all know, the most important meal of the day. A healthy, filling breakfast sets the day up for success in so many things.

Of course, bread pudding is traditionally a dessert, but I stand behind this healthier version as a great option for breakfast. I reduced the amount of sugar used in typical bread pudding recipes, and I think the amount could be reduced even more, depending on the level of sweet-tooth you are pandering to.  I also used whole wheat bread instead of white, yielding yet another option for using the bread heels of the loaf, which my family (including myself, I must admit) shuns.

Very Berry Whole Wheat Bread Pudding

6 pieces whole wheat bread, on the stale side if possible (as mentioned above, use the heels of the loaf and feel thrifty and resourceful about it!)

2 cups milk (I use whole, raw milk, which makes everything richer, tastier, and, in my opinion, healthier)

4 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. butter

1/3 - 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice crystals

(As always, use organic ingredients whenever possible)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup berries (Berries are expensive. Organic berries may necessitate a second mortgage. I buy frozen organic berries whenever possible, stockpiling them because they are not always available.  For this recipe I used a "Triple berry antioxidant blend" of organic frozen berries that is sometimes available at Costco. It is strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and also includes cherries!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8x8 baking dish, tear bread into smallish pieces.

Mix berries with bread pieces and drizzle the melted butter over the mixture.

Combine eggs, milk, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and mix until well blended. Pour this mixture evenly over bread/berry mixture.

Press bread mixture lightly with fork or spatula until all of it is covered with egg mixture.

Bring a teapot of water to a boil. Place baking dish in a large roasting pan, and pour boiling water into roasting pan.  Place roasting pan (with baking dish and boiling water in it) in oven.

Bake about 45 minutes. Remove baking dish from roasting pan with water, place baking dish back in oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until it is golden brown and has reached "pudding" consistency (a fork in the center will not come clean, but mixture is no longer runny).

This recipe is just in time for Easter (unless you are Erin's family, in which case you have already celebrated, hehe). Enjoy!

Jessica

Quichitas

I make up words.

It nullifies me having to spell things correctly.

Quichitas: little quiche like things.

Quichitas are a staple and favorite around here. The possibilities are endless. To see another version click here.

Here is today's recipe:

6 raw tortilla

5 eggs

couple handfuls of kale chopped

 1 cup kidney beans, cooked

1/2 cup of milk

shredded mozzarella cheese

Toppings; Salsa, yogurt, avocado

Grease the muffin pan.

Cut tortillas in half. Bring ends to meet to make a funnel sort of shape and stuff into muffin cup. (It should look like a little pie crust, and it is ok if you stuff some down, you’re just lining the cup and making the crust.

If you don’t want to use tortillas skip the above step.

Divide the filling ingredients into each cup: kale, beans and cheese.

Beat eggs and milk and fill* each cup 2/3 full.

*I use a turkey baster to fill the cups with the eggs mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the centers don’t jiggle when you shake the pan.

Top with salsa, yogurt and avocado if desired.

These are great for breakfast on the go if you so need.   

The Salmon Debate!

Yes the great salmon debate! To eat salmon or not to eat salmon. =)) Farm-raised, color added....how did we get here? OK, I'm not going to debate that here but it is something to think about for sure. I still like salmon and fortunately we can get nice wild Sockeye salmon here in the Northwest, so that is what we choose to eat regularly. 

Here is one of our household favorites, fixes in a flash and goes with any side dish!

Seared Salmon Recipe

4 boneless salmon filets (works with skin or no skin)
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼  teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Variation:
Use any of your favorite dry spice mix to dredge the salmon before cooking. 

Mix spices and spread on a shallow plate. Dredge both sides of salmon in dry spice mixture. Heat oil in a pan on high heat until hot. Sear salmon on each side for 3 minutes!

Here are some great articles on salmon:

Eating Well Salmon Article

Organic Consumers Association on Fish Sustainability

Go Fish, 
Bretta =)

bretta.vemma.com

Here Comes The Sun (Salad)

On behalf of the Northern Hemisphere, I would just like to take this time to say, Welcome back, Sun.  It has been a loooooong time since we have seen you much at all.  Oh sure, you've been around a little. For months you have shown up sometime late morning (ok a bit of an exaggeration, but it feels like late morning) and been gone by the time school is out. Each time you arrived it seemed like it was out of habit, an obligatory presence, if you will, arriving late and hovering just above the horizon until the earliest possible moment you could make a graceful exit. Like you were just there because you had to be, not to actually shine.  It's like stopping by a friend's house but not getting out of the car. You stayed so far away we couldn't even derive any vitamin D from you, even on the rare days you actually poked your head out of the clouds. 
I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Sun. I really am glad you're back. I am looking forward to the steadily longer days you will give us until Summer Solstice, when you gradually, subtly start to distance yourself again. The orchestra of Spring that you conduct, flowers blooming, trees donning their full complement of leaves, life everywhere beginning anew, is anxiously awaiting your cues to begin it's vernal masterpiece. And I will be front and center, feeling gratitude for every hour you grace us with your presence.
I know we are not the only hemisphere in the world.  I know Earth does not revolve around us Northerners (in fact, it revolves around you, Sun. You make it happen. You make the world turn. And we love you for that). I know there is an entire southern portion of the globe that is equally deserving of your time.  It's just hard to remember that at 3:30 pm in December, as I make my way to my mailbox with my flashlight.
And I know that, for now at least, your return is a token effort, an act of symbolism.  You won't actually start to shine regularly on us for several months more, preferring instead to lurk behind your comfy blanket of clouds. But we know you are there, hovering behind those clouds.  And we know you will begin to pop out more and more as Spring goes on.  I'm not trying to rush you, and I won't lose my dignity by trying to chase you, or replace you with a tanning bed or some other synthesis of your glorious rays.  I will wait patiently here for you, and when you are ready I will be ready, with my flip-flops and my sunglasses, my sundresses that have been lovingly and somberly packed away. But I will be thinking of you, waiting to truly welcome you back, not just ceremoniously, not like in November when I try to forget you ever existed.
I was thinking of you the other night, Sun, when I glanced at my Meyer lemons on the table.  I am lured into buying them because of their rich, saturated color, as if they actually have the means of storing your beautiful light in their smooth, buttery-soft skin.  I like just having a bowlful on the table, probably because they remind me so much of you.  Of course, Meyer lemons are amazing in a cooking capacity, also.  Any dish that is enhanced by lemon is made magical by Meyer lemons, an elusive fruit whose origins are not entirely known, though the accepted story is that they are a cross between Mandarin oranges and lemons. Until recently Meyer lemons were quite elusive, the supply being so small that they rarely made it far from the tree they were grown on before being whisked away by lemon-lovers in close proximity. Nowadays they are grown in large enough amounts to be shipped far and wide. But, just like you, Sun, they are not around for long.  One must enjoy them while they last and then graciously let them go until next year.
Meyer lemons are all but gone from the grocery stores around here these days, but I happened upon a small pile of them at the store the other day, I admired them for a few days, letting them get even more fragrant, more vibrant. When they began to show those first signs of an aging citrus, I made vinaigrette, and last night made a simple salad with not many ingredients so as not to detract from the glory of the Meyer lemon. 
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Juice of two very ripe Meyer lemons (about 1/4 cup juice)3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil1/2 tsp sea salt1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper1/4 tsp dijon mustard

The salad I made was arugula with some grated Romano cheese, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries. The nuttiness of the arugula was shown off nicely against the fruity sweetness of the vinaigrette, but this dressing would be great with anything.  

Turkey Burgers

I forgot how much I (and the whole family) enjoy homemade Turkey Burgers until I made them again to get these wonderful pictures! Yum!! Our three year old cleaned his plate, I huge win for protein. 

Personally I like to double or triple the recipe and freeze the add ins for later use. I'm all about saving time and energy. =))  Pull the mixture out of the freezer, thaw and add to your ground turkey. Yeah, dinner is ready in a flash!

This is also the only recipe that I regularly use my Lean Mean Grilling Machine, since these DO NOT do well on a regular grill. Way too soft! This recipe gives instructions for stove top cooking. 

Turkey Burgers Recipe (Adapted from Whole Food Bible):

1/4 cup minced onion
3/4 cups coarsely ground oatmeal (put oatmeal in a blender and pulse until the oatmeal is the consistency of bread crumbs)
1 egg
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup milk or soy mild or stock 
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove of minced garlic
3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds ground organic free-range turkey

Mix all the ingredients except ground turkey well in blender. Add mixture to ground turkey and stir throughly. Form into 1 inch thick patties and place in a lightly oiled skillet. Cook the burgers over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until browned and crispy. Flip the burgers carefully (they are quite soft) and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until golden brown. Serve the burgers hot. 

To Your Health, 
Bretta