Food Share Friday: Grandpa's Whole Wheat Bread

I have decided to make Fridays, my "Food Share Friday." I will be sharing recipes from my Grandpa's, self published cookbook.

It's called, "Natural Foods Sampler: Whole Food Goodness for You!" He first published this cookbook in 1980. My mom tells me that he would hand these out free of charge. Since he is gone now, I will continue on in that spirit and offer up these recipes to you. The only thing I ask in return is that you don't take them as your own. Please give credit where credit is due. My Grandpa had a passion for spreading the word of good natural health and this cookbook was part of that. He put many years of hard work and passion into creating these recipes. So when you make them for yourself and your family, just remember the man behind the recipe.

He said it best, when he wrote in his cookbook;

"What wonders our Creator has wrought in giving to all of us the ability to prepare the food that is our sustenance, to feel the dough come alive in our hands as we kneed our daily bread, to taste the fresh goodness that He had permitted to grown in our gardens, to revel in the flavor of honey from the hive, and to relish the pungency of the herbs that spice our lives -- natural foods all, and designed to nourish in in joy, health, and love o four fellowman!

I believe that life can be, at the very least, a little more pleasant when we return of while grain nourishment and relearn the benefits to be found in foods that come to us more naturally. In striving to reach the goal of whole food goodness for us all, I offer this collection of recipes, May you eat and enjoy!" ~James Francis

Grandpa's Whole Wheat Bread

Plain and Simple,

Oh so good!

Whole Wheat bread

Is heaven's food!

2 1/2 Cups warm water (110-115 degrees)

1 tsp molasses or honey

2 TBS dry yeast

3 TBS honey

3 TBS safflower oil

1 tsp sea salt (note from Laura: I use Himalayan crystal salt. You can find it at Swanson Vitamins)

1 TBS liquid lecithin

1 egg, beaten

1/3 Cup non-fat dry milk

5 1/2 - 6 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 Cup gluten flour

1. Stir together in a large mixing bowl the molasses and 2 cups of the water. Sprinkle with the yeast and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. 

2. Mix the 1.2 cup of water, honey, oil, and lecithin in a small bowl. Add the beaten egg and pout into the yeast mixture, beating gently with an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon. 

3. Stir together three cups of the flour, slat, gluten, and milk powder. add this to the large bowl. Beat well, This is the sponge. Set it in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 3/4 to 1 hour or more, depending on warmth.

4. Stir down with a wooden spoon and add flour gradually until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out on a floured board or counter and let stand a few minutes while you wash out the bowl and oil it. 

5. Knead the dough 8-10 minutes, adding flour as necessary to make a smooth elastic dough. 

6. Return the dough to the bowl, turning so that oil coats all of the surface. Cover with a warm damp towel and let rise until doubled. 

7. Punch down, squeezing out all air and shape into the required number of loaves. This recipe will make three loaves in 7 1/4 x 3 1/4 pans (preferable) or two loaves in 8 1/4 x 4 1/4 pans. Grease pans well. 

8. Let rise in pans until almost double. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for five minutes, then at 350 degrees for balance of baking time. Time for three loaves, about 25 minutes; two loaves 30-35 minutes. 

9. Check if done by removing loaf from pan. If it is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, it is done. Remove from pans at once and cool on racks, away from draft. 

Being a diabetic myself, I thought I would share the carb counts for all of these recipes. There are 525.82 grams of carbs if you use 5 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, and 609.82 grams if you used 6 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. That is for the whole recipe. If you make three loaves, just divide it by three. If you make two, divide by two. I made three loaves and got 16 slices out of one loaf. That would be about 11 grams per slice. 

Making bread is an art form. It definitely was for my Grandpa. I hope you enjoy this recipe for bread from him. If you are interested in having a copy of his cookbook for your own, I can send one to you at my cost. Feel free to e-mail me at peaceoftheprairies@gmail.com with your request and I will get you a price. 

*The link to Swanson Vitamins is a referral link. I do get credit for it. 

Working towards loving me!

On January 1st, of every year, thousands of people make their "New Year's Resolutions." I've done it, my husband has done it. In fact, I don't think I know one person who has never made a resolution for the new year. I believe they can be a great way to get a fresh start on life. They can also be something that we hold over our heads and guilt ourselves about.

I'd love for you all NOT to do that this year. Let's start the new year off by saying "No" to guilt. Go ahead, say it. "I will not think poorly of myself for falling short of what I think is my best." Instead, we need to love ourselves, unconditionally. If my Father in Heaven can love me unconditionally, why can't I at least give myself that gift also?

Well, I can, and I will! Starting today, I will love myself, just as I am. I will accept my shortcomings for what they are and move forward. I will strive to be a better person, but not get caught up in who I'm not. I will be me and I will LOVE it.

This year, I will not make a goal to loose a certain amount of weight, though I do have a bit to loose. I will not make a goal to look a certain way, or act a certain way. My goal, or resolution, this year is to love myself unconditionally.

I struggle with my body image, as I'm sure most of you have at one point in time, or another. It's hard to see myself as anything but a fat slob. Well, I'm not either. I'm not fat, nor am I a slob. I am me. Just as He created me to be. I may swear too much, weigh too much, and not "look" like a perfect Christian "should" at times. Don't even get me started on that last one. You see, 2013 had a very dark spot in it for me and it all centered around not being "Christian enough" for a certain group of people. I went through a lot of pain as a result of things these other "Christians" did and said. It was not fun, but it has made me a stronger person. They did not break my spirit!

Back to what I was saying before I took a left turn there. (Sorry) My ultimate goal is to learn to love and accept myself just as I am. I want to do it for me, but also for my kids. I don't want my kids to learn to have low self worth from me. Oh no! I want them to grow up to be confidant and love who the Creator made them to be. In order for me to teach them that, I have to be it. I will. I have already been praying about it and working on changing my thought process.

Instead of trying on clothes and seeing exactly what is wrong with it, I will first look for the positives in each article of clothing. I will not look at the size, but how I FEEL in it. I am also going to cook healthier foods. Not that I don't already, but I always strive for more.

Wish me luck, and if you are the praying type, prayers are much appreciated. I look forward to traveling this year with you all. Keep watching my blog for updates and a special series coming on Friday!

Start the New Year with a Plan!

Hi! My name is Laura, and I'm a planner! I've been planning my whole life. I LOVE it! The endless possibilities of a blank planner page is just too much to bear. I must fill in each line.

Wait a minute! Each line!? Sadly, yes. I have been caught in this trap. Each line of that shiny new planner must be filled and everything must be completed! That's great, but that's not life. It leaves no room for the curve balls that get thrown at us each day, or the spontaneous trip to the park.

It's great to have a plan, but it's not great to become a slave to that plan. We must be flexible and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. If we aren't careful, we can plan Him right out of everything. Sad, but true.

That being said, I am sharing with you a blog planning form that I created today. I know what I just said, and I believe it 100%. However, just because we shouldn't over plan, doesn't mean we shouldn't have a plan at all. Some of us work better with a plan. I am one of those people. I like to plan for the ideal day, and then go from there. If it all happens, great! If not, oh well, there's always tomorrow.

I searched and searched this morning to find just what I wanted in a planner. I didn't want it too detailed. I didn't want it 30 pages long. I didn't want it plain and no fun. I DID want it to be short, simple, and cute. I finally got frustrated with my options and created my own.

Pretty, right? I thought so! It is very simple, ONE page for the whole month! There is even space for notes and planing out your weekly themes. On the bottom I added a space for future blog post ideas, in case I have the month full and inspiration hits. 

I am so happy with this new planner page! Hopefully, it will help me be a better blogger in this coming year. I post so sporadically, and I'd like to be more consistent. 

If you like this planner, and would like one of your own, you can download it for free, from my store at Teachers Pay Teachers.  

Thanks for reading. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think of this planner. If you are a blogger, and have a free planner of your own that you love, feel free to share it in the comments. 

Review: Udderly Smooth Lotion

Udderly Smooth is a line of moisture rich lotions, perfect for dry, chapped skin in the winter. It's been manufactured in the USA for over 30 years! I recently had the opportunity to try some of these products out in exchange for a review. 

I was given two tubes of hand cream, one tub each of foot cream and 6 sample packets of body cream. To order all of this online from their website, it would cost me $16.75 plus $7.00 for shipping. That brings my total to $23.75. Not too bad, given the fact that these products will last you for quite a while. You don't have to order them from the company though. You can find them on many local stores: http://www.udderlysmooth.com/availability.shtml

My husband and I have been using all of these products since we received them on December 10th. We've barely made a dent in them! You seriously don't need a whole lot of product with each use. A little really does go a long way. 

We have noticed our skin feeling softer. I keep a tube of the hand cream next to my kitchen sink and put it on after I've washed dishes. Normally, my skin is really dry in the winter but this has really helped. I also gave a few of the samples to a friend to use on her children. Two of them had a rash that she was thinking was due to the dry winter air. She put the body cream on them and it cleared up the problem!  

I'm not a fan of all of the ingredients though. I would love to have it all be from natural, readable ingredients. Most of the time, I just use coconut oil for all of my moisturizing needs. That being said, if you are looking for something that works and you don't care about that sort of thing, this is your product. 

Overall, it's a great product. It does exactly as the company states it will. It's still made in the good, old USA! So, I wouldn't hesitate to spend my money on it at all. 

If you enjoyed my review and would like to read more, you can find them by heading over to Mosaic Reviews. 

 

Review of "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" and "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation"

I received both "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" and "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation" a couple of months ago in exchange for this review. They are both written by Heather A. Kendall and can be found here. I have to say that I am not always excited about Bible study books. So many times, they are just not deep enough, or they are not in line with my beliefs.

I started reading these books with that in mind, but was quickly surprised. I will be upfront with you, I did not finish either of these books yet. I am slowly making my way through both of them. They are so in depth, that it takes me a bit to fully digest everything. This is a good thing. It gives me ideas and thoughts to ponder as I go about my daily life.

In "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" Heather shares God' story of salvation by incorporating all of the stories in the Bible into one, easy to follow book. Of course, the Bible should always be our go-to when it comes to, well, pretty much everything. Sometimes, it's hard to put it all together. I believe Heather did a wonderful job of putting it together for us. It truly has been a great read so far. I plan on finishing it and then sharing it with my church community.










The second book I was given, "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation," is more like your typical Bible study. She takes you through the scriptures and you really have to search through your Bible. I will be honest, I enjoy this style much more than the style of the previous book. In this study, Heather guides you through the scriptures to help you see the big picture in the Biblical storyline, it is Christ centered. I am only a few chapters in, at this point, but I am enjoying every minute of it so far. This is one study that I will have my children read as they grow a bit older.








I highly recommend both of these books. They are very informative and helpful in one's walk with Jesus. At $23 for "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" and $22 for "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation", they are well worth the investment.

Click this button, to read more reviews of both of these books.

Cleaning Routines, Lots of Kids, & Not Enough Space

Or so I thought....

Before I get into all of that, I want to share with you some history.

Some of you may know that I spent some time in Iraq. It's where my husband and I met and fell in love. We came home, got married and had a baby, all in the same year. Well, more like a 3 month time span. It was a whirlwind! One that I'd never change, but one that brought many challenges.

I went from just having to take care of myself to having a husband and baby! Umm, what in the world!? I had no idea what to do. I did the best I could. I really did. We were fed, clothed (in clean clothes), healthy and relatively happy. I knew I needed to do more though. This was something I was determined to figure out.

Enter Fly Lady. Yeah!!! She had it all planned out. I just needed to do. Well, that didn't work so well for me. I got stuck somewhere between getting dressed to shoes every day and taking care of a baby as a first time mom. My ideals weren't lining up quite right.

Now, don't get me wrong, Fly Lady is awesome! I love her routines and her focus on forming good habits. I still read her e-mails for inspiration. It's wonderful!

I also use an app called "FlyHelper." You can find it in the Google Play Store. It's a wonderful app, and it's FREE. (I don't get anything by sharing, other than the satisfaction of helping another mom out who may be drowning the way I am.)

I tried Fly Lady off and on for a few years. I also tried a few other things. Some, I can't even remember the name of right now. I tried making my own. I tried following a schedule set to the time. That just didn't work for me either. If I could live my life without ever looking at a clock, I'd be one happy lady.

Throughout those years of trial and error, I found quite a few things that worked and quite a few more that didn't. I have finally found something that works for us. It involves everyone. Well, everyone except my husband since he's at work during the day. I have a clean house, that is free of clutter(mostly), toys are picked up, laundry is "done", dishes aren't scattered all over, and most of all we are happy living in. Now, if you were to knock on my door this second, you would not find a house straight from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Far from it. We have a small house and 6 people living in it, there's stuff here. We LIVE in our house. We homeschool in this house. If you were to walk in, right now, you'd find kids happily playing with toys and dishes in the sink. Like I said, we live here, and I'm fine with that.

Would you like to hear my big secret on how we got on top of the clutter and mess? Okay, get ready to take notes. Got your paper and pen? Here it comes....




We have started spending 15 minutes a day in each room! Ha! That's it! I set my trusty timer(thank you FlyLady) for 15 minutes and off we go! We all work in the same room, from me all the way down to my 3 year old.

We start by simply picking things up and putting them in their place. You know the saying, "A place for everything and everything in it's place." This is very important. If it doesn't have a place, you don't use it or need it, out it goes. You don't need it in your house!

Once that is done, we start on our details. For this, I use FlyLadys zones. You can find them here. Just click on "zones." If we don't have time for the details, we don't do them. At least the beds are made and everything has found it's place for that day.

Laundry is done daily also. I wash, dry and fold anywhere from 2-6 loads a day, depending on what needs to be done. At the end of the day, we all work on getting it all put away. We do this after supper when dad is home and he helps. We all wear the clothes, we all do our part. It takes us, you guessed it 15 minutes. Sometimes it takes maybe 20-25 depending upon how much we have and how well the kids are cooperating.

                                     (Picture of FlyLady's timer is used with permission of FlyLady.)

Yes, it's that simple! We spend no more than 15 minutes in one room and no less. You can do it too! So, get your timers out and give it a try. Let me know how it goes!

New addition to the family.... or make that FOUR new additions

Before you start wondering if I just gave birth to quadruplets. I didn't. We just bought 4 goldfish for the kids to take care of.

They have been begging for a while now to have some fish. I made a deal with them. They had to clean and de-clutter their room and I would buy them some fish. My husband and I talked about it and decided that 38 cent goldfish weren't too much of an investment if this little project goes south.

Since I have 4 kids, ready and willing, to help in the care of these cute little fish, I needed some way to track what had been done. The fish will need to be fed once or twice daily, not four. The tank will also need to be cleaned. We just purchased a typical goldfish bowl to start. That is why it will need to be cleaned so often. I plan on buying them something similar to this magnetic cleaner.

I searched online and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I made my own. I decided to share it with all of you too! You can print it by following this link to Teachers Pay Teachers: Goldfish Care Chart.