Homemade "Gatorade"

Staying hydrated is so important in the summer heat. But just plain water may not be enough. When sweating occurs, the body loses vital salts and minerals that need to be replenished. Our cells require an electrolytic solution to function properly. In chemistry, electrolytes are salts that allow an electrical current to pass through a solution. These solutes also play an important role in cellular activity, particularly in osmosis- the process that controls the passage of water in and out of cell membranes. When there is a high concentration of dissolved particles inside or outside each cell, water will move in or out to balance the concentration. Our bodies require the proper balance of salts and minerals to carry out the many functions of each cell, including the electric signals with which it communicates with the rest of the body.

Commercial electrolytic solutions can be expensive. And they wrongly advertise that you can't make them yourself because you don't know the proper ratio. Well, I'm about to tell you the proper ratio, so you can! In his book, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water", Dr Batmanghelidj instructs his readers in proper hydration. 1/4 tsp. sea salt for every quart of water will supply the balance your cells need. And you should drink at least half your body's weight in ounces each day. You don't have to drink salt water, though. You can just put the salt on your food.

Most processed food is loaded with equally processed sodium chloride, or table salt, so it is best to avoid these foods and eat pure sea salt on your other whole foods, which also contains trace minerals your body needs. Unprocessed sea salt will not look like tiny, perfect cubes as does it's manufactured counterpart. There are various types. Celtic sea salt is gray and damp, mined red salt is, well, red and dry, and Mediterranean is white, and less damp.

But in the heat we are currently experiencing in my neck of the woods, unless you want to sit around in a controlled climate, you are going to sweat. And sweating is good for you. It is God's gift of detox. Most of us don't sweat enough. And that's when you need that little bit of extra. So here is my recipe based on Dr. Batmanghelidj's ratio.

1 pint pure or filtered water
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 spoonfuls frozen juice concentrate of choice.

Shake ingredients together in a mason jar. You may want to put less water and top it off with ice after mixing. Or make a whole bunch and place in the refrigerator for an instant chilled drink. Enjoy!


AHHHHHHHH! Now that's a tool for conviviality.

Happier Meals

What makes a meal happy? For a kid, it means tasty food, a prize and a fun box to hold it all. For mom it means no corn syrup, no trans fats, no junk, plenty of whole grain, protein and veggies. Here we have it all. Orange boxes are lined with waxed paper then filled with sandwiches, carrots, lettuce, organic ranch dressing, milk, fruit leather in the shape of a heart and a coloring page with crayons.











Happy kids, enjoying lunch in the fresh air.













Happy Seth. He doesn't need a happy meal to be happy. He's almost always happy:)

The Best Milk in Town

I am very excited to have found a source of raw milk from pasture fed cows. The Milky Way Farm is located in the Lake Hartwell area, but it delivers every two weeks at the outlet mall in our town. My friend Stacy, whose family runs Old Paths Farm here in Gaffney, told me about it. She has begun selling eggs from their pasture fed hens at the delivery site. Milky Way Farm also delivers to many other places, including natural food stores and co-ops throughout South Carolina, and in a few places in Georgia and North Carolina.

After researching a lot of articles, and reading about the work of Dr. Weston Price, I became convinced of the need for raw whole milk, butter, cheese and eggs from pasture fed livestock, as well as supplementing with cod liver oil. We found out a bit late, after consuming soy milk and pasteurized dairy and watching our children's teeth begin to decay.
We tried some raw goat milk from a local farm last year, but the kids never liked the flavor and didn't drink it very much. So this discovery was an answer to prayer! For myself, I have noticed a tremendous difference in the raw milk's superior digestibility. It does not give me intestinal cramps and gas like it's pasteurized counterpart. The kids are drinking more of it, too, and it makes great smoothies with frozen bananas, ice cubes and a little raw local honey! Raw food rocks!

Great Granola!

Monday is usually our baking day, but last night Virginia needed something to do, so we made granola together. I thought I'd post the recipe we use.

Sara's Great Granola

3 cups quick oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup organic sugar (or brown or raw)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Mix all ingredients thoroughly, then spread onto a large, buttered baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, stirring once half way through baking time, and once when done. Cool completely before storing. Add dried fruits and nuts if desired. We usually double the recipe because the 5 of us eat it up pretty fast.

Jon, the coconut is optional :).

Kaitlin's Nutrition Chart

Kaitlin, you did a great job with your mama!




























Hmmm, what can we cut and paste next?

Grow Fresh Salads All Year

Sprouting is about the easiest way to get tasty, super nutritious, fresh salads all year. It takes very little time and effort, and is essentially foolproof gardening.

There are many companies online that offer sprouting seeds and materials. These lids, which fit half gallon canning jars found at your local grocery store, are from the Sprout People. But before I got these lids as a gift from Luke's mom, I just used a piece of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band. When I didn't have cheesecloth I placed a strainer over the mouth of the jar to drain it, then used a piece of cloth draped over the top to keep the dust out for the rest of the time.

I have always purchased my seeds from a health food store near us, as they are much cheaper than any I have seen online. I usually grow alfalfa and mung beans for salads, but I have sprouted broccoli, which is delicious, as well as lentils and wheat berries, which I already had in my pantry. These latter two I added to my bread dough to enhance the nutrition, flavor and texture of the bread. But beware! When you sprout wheat or other cereals, you must use them all when they are ready, because they will not stop growing when you refrigerate them like other sprouts and soon you'll have grass instead of sprouts.

Lentils and wheat take about two days, alfalfa and other beans take three or four. Sprouts will grow faster in warmer temperatures than in cold ones, too, some more than others.

It probably takes less time to do it, than to read this, so I'll stop rambling and get on with the simple instructions.

1. Place 1/4 cup seeds in a half gallon canning jar, or less in a quart sized jar. Cover with water to at least three times the depth of the seeds. Soak overnight.

2. In the morning, drain seeds, then rinse and drain again. Invert the jar at an angle for a couple hours to drain thoroughly. This helps air to circulate better.

3. Rinse and drain at least twice a day until they are ready. On the last day, put them in a window so they will produce chlorophyll. Then rinse, drain and eat. Store them in the refrigerator for three or four days if they don't get eaten before then.

Adventures in Sourdough

A few weeks ago I decided to try and revive my sourdough starter that had been sitting, sadly neglected, in the back of my refrigerator. The sides of the glass dish were moldy, so I threw most of it out, but saved a couple spoonfuls of the contents, which still smelled good. After feeding it and setting it out at room temperature for awhile to make sure it was still alive and forming bubbles, I made pizza crust with it. This is a loaf I baked today, using the famous no knead method published last year in the New York Times and Mother Earth News. It was delicious. Home grown sourdough from a true starter, unlike the vinegar soured impostors you buy at the grocery store, is only slightly sour, and sweet, like mild cheese. The sourness is caused by lactobacilli, the same type of bacteria that is used to make yogurt and cheese, and, incidentally, must be present in our digestive tracts in order to process the food we eat. But that's not all. The beneficial work of these bacteria in the bread dough also help to predigest some of the more indigestable elements of whole grain. For example, their acidic environment breaks down the nutrient binding chemical, phytic acid, thus increasing the bioavailabilty of iron and other nutrients. Of course, this beneficial activity ends once the bread has been baked, but the good work has already been done. Here is more about how it works.

My adventures with sourdough began sometime last spring, I think. I found this site to be the best instructions for starting a starter. The author warned that if you had no experience with sourdough, it was best not to begin with making your own, but to order a culture from a commercial source. Ha, that was all the encouragement I needed! I used organic rye and wheat berries, which I ground in my grain mill, and fresh tap water from our well. I think that is why I had so much success. The wild yeasts that cause the dough to rise reside on pesticide free grains. And the antibiotic property of chlorine in city tap water systems can pose a possible problem if you're trying to grow a good culture, though this will evaporate if you let it sit long enough in a wide enough container.

So here is my recipe:
3 cups whole grain flour (at least half wheat)
3 tsp. wheat gluten
About 3/4 cup sourdough starter
1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/4 cups warm water

Mix all ingredients and let rise in a draft free place at least 8 hours. Be sure to also feed your starter. To shape loaf, sprinkle a generous amount of flour and oats, if you like, onto a clean cloth. Place dough on top and sprinkle on more flour. Fold the dough onto itself a couple times, sprinkling more flour as needed. Cover with a second cloth and let rise in a warm place at least 1 hour. I like to warm a pizza stone slightly in the oven, not to hot to touch, and let the loaf rise on this inside the oven. When it is almost time to bake, take it out of the oven and place your covered baking dish of choice inside (this can be a cloche, lidded dutch oven, stone baking dish, or large pyrex dish). Preheat at 500 degrees. When the oven is hot, quickly remove the lid, dump the dough inside by placing hand under the bottom cloth and inverting, replace lid and bake 30 min. at 475 degrees. After this time, remove the lid and allow to brown for another 5-10 min. if desired. This method of baking produces a lovely, artisan crust and soft, sponge-like interior.

Nutrition Chart

We had fun today making this nutrition chart. It is divided into 3 groups: Colors (i.e. fruits and veggies), Whole Grains and Proteins. We cut out pictures of healthy foods from grocery store circulars and cardboard food packages to glue onto each section. It is a lot bigger than our old one, which has seen better days. But this simple model has really been a great tool to teach nutritious eating habits. The kids will refer to the pictures to help them decide what to eat for a snack, and mealtimes are great opportunities to have them guess which group each food belongs to and talk about why they are important. We try to eat at least one thing from the Protein and Whole Grain categories at each meal, and preferably at least two from the Colors group.

Activity! Make your own charts with your favorite nutritious foods, then send me your pictures. Next week I will post a gallery of your projects. Have fun!

Yummy 'Nanas

Ingredients:

2 bananas
4 tsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
4 tsp. toasted wheat germ

I made this nice recipe and it's so yummy. First I sliced up the bananas and put them in a bowl. And then I put coconut and wheat germ in it. And I mixed it up with a spoon.

by Virginia Harding (age 5)