Granola

We love granola in our home! We use it as a topping for yogurt, a dip for bananas, cereal, or just as a snack.

Everyone knows we need fiber in our diet to keep our bowels and intestines healthy and fully functioning - granola helps with just that!

Here's our favorite recipe:

5 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup (non-sweetened) coconut
1 cup cranberries
1/2 golden flax seeds
1/4 hemp seeds

3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water

Blend dry ingredients together. In a seperate bowl blend liquid ingredients with whisk (or such) until ingredients blend together. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir. Dehydrate at 155 for a couple hours or until desired crispiness. Or you can place in oven at 170 for an hour or two as well.

Claudia

Yogurt

Who knew that the bacteria found in yogurt is good for you and
that yogurt doesn't have the same mucous forming effects other dairy products have because of the enzymes within it which breaks down its lactose content?

And, who knew that Yogurt can be made right in your own home?

Shanda, I read that, "Each time you make yogurt you will need some starter. You can use your own starter, but over time it looses its potency and your yogurt will not turn out. So begin with store bought yogurt. You can freeze your starter yogurt in ice cube trays so that it is convenient to have on hand." What do you think?

-Claudia

I would set aside a cup of yogurt each time you make a new batch, then you will always have a fresh start. Yogurt is good for keeping the gastrointestinal tract colonized with healthy bacteria. It dramatically boosts your body’s ability to fight bad bacteria. You can also replenish your gut after taking an antibiotic by eating yogurt or kefir everyday for 30 days. (I can't believe it takes that long to replenish the good bacteria from only one round of antibiotics.)

How to make homemade yogurt:
Scald a half gallon of no-hormone added milk on the stove (turn off when a light skim forms on the top and tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the milk about 180 degrees). Let cool until milk is still very warm but no longer hot(about 115 degrees).
Pour milk into quart jars. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt in each jar (at first, you may purchase this from the store, but after that, save out a cup of yogurt to start your next batch). Stir gently but thoroughly.
Turn your oven on (any temperature) for 90 seconds, and turn off. Place jars (covered with lids) in the oven for 8-12 hours. Don't move or touch them until done. (I like to do this right before bed, then in the morning it's ready) Remove and refrigerate—keeps for a few weeks because of the natural preservative of the culture.
Note: Homemade yogurt is a little runnier than store bought because it doesn't have any thickening agents in it. You can also add homemade jams or pie filling for flavoring if you wish. Just make sure you take out some for the next batch before you add the flavor.

-Shanda

Making Homemade Soap

Making homemade soap is becoming a lost art. I'll admit it's much easier to buy the soaps you need but it's still a good idea to learn how to make your own soap just in case you ever needed to. Claudia and I were very glad to learn the process of making soap from a lady named Jan who was visiting from Montana. Jan raised 10 children on a farm and taught them to make everything from scratch. Here is Jan's laundry soap recipe:

You will need:
*large stainless steel or ceramic pot (like the black canning one) Do not use an aluminum one! (The lye will eat through it)
*1 can lye (about 14oz)
*3 qt cold water
*2 qt melted lard (fat from an animal or vegetable fat)
*2 T. Borax
*fragrance (optional)(essential oils work best)
*1 cheap shower curtain or a 4' x 4' or larger piece of plastic
*gloves (to wear while your making the soap)
*vinegar (this is just in case you get lye on you, vinegar will neutralize it)
*electric beater or stick blender

Warning: Do this outside or in a well ventilated place. Keep your vinegar close by just in case.

Directions: Dissolve the lye into 3qt of water. Stir constantly until all the lye is mixed in. Be extremely careful at this point. When mixed with water, lye can reach temperatures of 250F or higher. Let cool for about 10 minutes then add the warm melted Lard and Borax. Use an electric beater or stick blender to mix the ingredients until it reaches the "trace point". ("trace point" - the point at which the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency and the water and grease no longer separate.) Turn off your blender periodically and let the mixture rest to see if you have reached the trace point. This can take up to an hour depending on the time of year you make it. The best time to make soap is in the summer because the heat will help to speed things up. Once it reaches the trace point, the soap is done. At this point you can add your fragrance. Pour out the mixture on to the shower curtain as thin as you can get it. Spreading it thin helps to speed up the drying process. Let the soap set in a hot dry place until it's completely dry and you can crumble it into pieces (about 2 days). At this point you will grate it into fine pieces to be used as laundry soap. A food processor works great for this. Store it in a container and you're finally done!

Note: Lye is very dangerous, don't work with it while kids are around! Learn more about lye before you make anything with it. I don't want to scare you, just be careful.

-Here are some great demos from u-tube on how to make bar soap. The possibilities are endless. This could become a fun hobby/craft project.
Part 1, Part 2

-Shanda