double chocolate muffins

these muffins turned out REALLY good!  especially warm... yum.  this was one of my first recipes transferred from a "normal" recipe to a soaked one.  next time i'm going to tweek it a little bit because after sitting out they are kinda dry.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Soak Overnight:
3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. oil
1/2 c. kefir

In the morning add:
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 c. milk (i only added 1 cause it seemed plenty wet, but then it dried out. so i would add more)
1 c. dehydrated cane juice
1/2 c. cocoa
2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins 

you might want to sprinkle the chocolate chips on top instead of mixing them in because all of ours got left in the pan when the muffins came out!!  :)  

learning from faliure

here's the update on THE PLAN...

picture from gnowfglins

so lets start off with the positive things... the soaking part went really well!!  i tried a raspberry muffin recipe at passionate homemaking, and a pumpkin bread recipe from gnowfglins.  i noticed that when i soaked things i didn't exactly get a stomach ache, but they kinda made me feel a little bit acidic.  after doing a bunch of reading i figured out that i probably wasn't soaking anything as long as i should have.  i had only been soaking things for about 7 hours, but most things say AT LEAST 8 hours, but up to 24!!  this is the next part of our soaking adventure... figuring out how many hours doesn't make me feel any kind of sick.  BUT the exciting thing is that everyone in my family LOVED the pumpkin bread and really liked the muffins!!  this is VERY exciting news because i have some VERY picky siblings!!  :)

we also soaked some oatmeal and i tested out a big bowl to see if i got a stomach ache!  i got a minor one, but once again, i probably need to soak it for longer.  i actually liked it lots better than normal oatmeal.  oh, and we soaked some brown rice and i couldn't even tell a difference!!  i think one of my sisters was paranoid that it had kefir in it and said that i tasted really sour.  but i really couldn't taste it. 

oh boy... now on to the whoopsies, mistakes, floops and failures!!

these rather disgusting looking things are supposed to be pumpkin pancakes.  they were DISGUSTING!!!  i made them with sprouted wheat that we had sprouted and dehydrated.  we let them sprout for JUST A LITTLE too long.  and they didn't work AT ALL!  oh well... live and learn right?? 

this little jar used to be a thriving sourdough start.  the first couple of days it was insanely active!!  then for the next week it just sat there and did nothing.  so i tried another start... and it didn't even do ANYTHING!!!  sigh... so i just decided to continue to work on soaking, try to get my sprouted flour to work and then i'll save up and buy a sourdough start from cultures for health.

so there's the update on THE PLAN!  i'm feeling TONS better and love all the new things that i'm learning!!  i have to admit that this morning i was super discouraged, it's a whole different way of cooking and one that i know nothing about!!  but i'm trying to change my perspective and look at it as an adventure!!  :D  

the plan

you know how in life there are times when everything just seems to be teaching you the very same thing?  well, this is one of those times.  i've been thinking that i needed to start eating better (note - i already eat fairly well, but have somethings that need to be changed), but i just kept putting it off.  now it can't be put off any longer!  i've started having major stomach issues again, and it's given me the push that i needed.

so here's the plan:

* no sugar (or at least drastically reduce my intake)

* lots more fruits and vegetables

* soaking all the grains/flour that i eat

* getting another sourdough start going

i'm super excited to get this started!  i'll be much better at posting these next couple of weeks i promise... so keep your eyes out for some awesome posts and recipes!! :D

easy as pie headbands

i've always wanted to be a headband person... but my head just seems to not like wearing them. they are always slipping off, or causing major headaches.  but i finally found the solution!!  and it was seriously as easy as pie!

I got the pattern free off Heather Bailey... which btw is an awesome website or blog i guess.  it only took me about 10 minutes to make them from start to finish, and they are SO comfortable!!  i would wear them everyday, but i need to make more first.  i ended up modifying the pattern a little bit because the headbands were a little too wide for my head... but it was so easy!!  all you need is a little material and about 6 inches of elastic!  here's the pattern available as a free download... and here are some pictures!!  the top one is the first one i did.. the band is a little thicker, but the bottom one is after the modifications.  

HOORAY FOR HEADBANDS!!  

btw... that's the name of the pattern :)   

     

Vanilla Crunch Granola

 photo credit

I really like this granola... not too sweet, and not too much to chew either. it's a perfect mix and super good!

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
4 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
8 c. oats
2 c. chopped nuts (we use almonds)

Combine sugar and water and cook until dissolved.  then add vanilla and salt.  Combine everything and mix thoroughly... follow the directions on the peanut butter granola recipe to dehydrate or bake.  

Peanut Butter Granola

photo credit

Granola is a staple at our house... it's super easy to mix up and unfortunately gone just as fast. I have 2 favorite recipes... this peanut butter one and a vanilla crunch one which i'll share as soon as i can find it :)

Peanut Butter Granola

5 c. oatmeal (not quick)

5 c. rolled six grain (if you don't have this, just use more oats)

2 c. coconut flakes

1 1/2 c. rapadura (or brown sugar)

1 t. salt

3/4 c. peanut butter

1 c. coconut oil (or other oil)

1/2 c. honey

2 t. vanilla

Directions:

* mix all dry ingredients together except the salt (I find it mixes better if you add it to the wet ingredients)

* combine all the other ingredients... be careful not to heat it too hot, as you don't want to damage the oil

* stir heated mixture into dry ingredients

* place on dehydrator trays

Cooking Instructions:

* dehydrate until crispy, usually 18-24 hours

* Cool and store in glass jars.

* I don't have the directions any more for cooking in the oven, but I think you just cook it at 350 degrees until crispy (about 1/2 hour ?), and you need to turn it every so often.

RolyPolies

photo credit

these are definitely a favorite at my house!!  kind of like crepes, except smaller and thicker... so i guess they really aren't like them at all.  but anyways... my childhood best friend's mom gave us this recipe and we would have across the street competitions to see who could eat the most... i think i lost at 8.  Enjoy this super easy recipe!! 

4 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
2 T. honey
1 t. salt

* double batch makes approx. 30-35 roly polies
* cook on gridle like pancakes
* roll as soon as cooked
* serve with syrup, honey, berries, cream cheese mix... whatever strikes your fancy!!

marie-madeline studio

over at pioneer beauty there is a giveaway for a $100 gift certificate for marie-madeline studio!!  here are some pictures of what you can get at marie-madeline!  love their stuff!!  patterns, cloth, pre-made stuff, etc...

 

strawberry-blackberry jam

about a week ago we ordered some Chill Over Powder (a gelatin alternative) from MaryJane Farms as an experimentation...  and today i picked a couple pounds of strawberries and a few blackberries from our garden and decided to make jam!  it turned out great!

 mixing it all together

 the beautiful finished product.  it only took about a couple hours to do it all!!

the recipe is super simple...

4 cups of crushed berries

2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons chill over powder

bring the berries and sugar to a boil.
sprinkle the powder in and stir, boil for 3 minutes.  

put in jars and water bath them for 15 mins. 
see i said it was simple!!  and tasty too! 

how we do kefir

it's time to make kefir!!

to start off... get your kefir grains.  here's a cute one from our bunch. 

first of all...put your grains in fresh milk.  if you have a tablespoon or so of grains, put them in about a cup of milk.  the kefir grains will eventually multiply and you'll have to add more milk.  we have a couple cups of kefir grains, and we use about 4 cups of milk everyday.  above is our kefir ready to culture!  your kefir needs to be able to breathe, so we put a little bit of cheesecloth on the top, and secure it with a jar ring.

kefir needs to culture for anywhere between 12-24 hours.  it needs to be out of direct sun, and kept at room temperature.  in the summer when it's really hot, we end up taking ours downstairs where it's cooler.

here's ours all ready to drain.  we usually drain it every 24 hours, but others like to drain it earlier.

a lot of people talk about not using metal or plastic when draining, but we've found that using both works fine and doesn't affect the keifr.  here's what we use to drain our kefir.

once poured into the strainer, we stir it and sometimes bang it until all that's left is the grains.

here's the keifr that was drained off.

and here are the grains.  be sure to not rinse your grains, because that destroys the good bacteria.

now you're ready to have fun with your kefir!!  we make kefir smoothies every morning, and i just started making kefir cheese and made some delicious dressing with it!!  there are so many things you can do with kefir!!  


WHAT EXACTLY IS KEFIR?  kefir grains are "a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids and sugars.  Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organisms."  kinda confusing, but i know that there's a lot of good stuff in kefir, and i love it!

making "kefir cheese"

i'm kinda going backwards with this... starting with dressing, going to making keifr cheese, and later i'll be posting a tutorial on how we do our keifr. so, stay tuned for that!!

to start off, drain your kefir

here's the drained kefir, about 4 cups

here's my favorite method of draining the kefir to make cheese.

 just use a dishcloth, and stick it inside a 2 quart mason jar.  

pour the kefir into the cloth,

and then rubberband the bundle to the side...

see the whey already draining out? 

stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours,

undo the rubberband every couple of hours stirring
the kefir to speed up the draining process.  

i drained mine for about 4-5 hours.
just keep checking it until it looks like softened cream cheese

and there you have it!!  kefir cheese!!
thanks to a great friend for the wonderful tips!

my first batch was drained on the counter and ended up REALLY sour.  

but this way it turns out much better!!  enjoy! :) 

"ranch" dressing

i used to love putting dressing on everything.  veggies, salad, pizza... you name it.  "ranch" is chock full of a bunch of nasty stuff... but today i succeeded in making some dressing that tastes exactly the same!!!

i started with some kefir, wrapped it up in a cloth, hung it up and drained the whey out, and ended up with kefir "cheese".  (i'll talk more about this later!)

i had a cup and a half of kefir cheese, which i put in my vita-mix,
added about a cup of  raw milk, 2 teaspoons of spike, 

a teaspoon of salt and blended it all up.

and voila!!  even my incredibly picky sister said that it tasted "just like ranch" and said she wanted to go pick some lettuce for a salad!!  enjoy!!

a new blog

it's funny how you change so much over the course of your life.

when i started blogging about 3 years ago, i had just graduated from school.  i didn't know what life had in store for me, and so i wrote.  i wrote about trying to figure out who i was.  the things i was discovering and striving to change about me.  when i read back over the posts at A Quiet Little Woman i see so much growth.  eventually i realized that that title didn't fit me.


i started a new blog called Every Day.  i love the quote i put at the top..."every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending."  i didn't blog very much because i was so busy doing exactly that... making every day a grand adventure!

then my whole life changed!!  i decided to go and serve a mission for my church, and Indiana Adventure chronicles that adventure!  it was one of the best years of my life!  i loved serving the Lord 24/7 and seeing people turn their lives over to God and seeing the pure happiness that they found.  it was an amazing experience to say the least!


now, i'm back home.  i'm trying to decide what this next phase of life will hold for me.  i decided to name this blog "The Joy of Becoming" because i know that in order to become the person that God wants me to be, i have a LONG ways to go.  but i'm excited to grow, change and become.  i find joy in changing, even though it's painful at times.  i hope that the things that i write here will inspire you to "find joy in the journey" as i'm striving to do!!


p.s. i also have a cooking blog where i share recipes and things i'm learning.  i LOVE to cook.  i'm hoping to get a cookbook out before the end of the year.