WoolyMossRoots

simple joys of a soulful life

apples & applesauce

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After the apple harvesting (it’s been a record year for us, we’re grateful to have such an abundance of apples), it was time for the apple processing. We usually make it in our kitchen, but Jeff wanted to set up an applesauce station outside in the garden this year and that was such a good idea because the sticky mess was so much easier to clean up by spraying everything down with the garden hose afterwards. If only it were that easy in the kitchen!

We cut up the apples and steamed them in a steamer basket in a pot over the propane cooker, then put them through the squeezo to make the applesauce. (The squeezo is a manual crank tool that separates out the seeds, etc., Jeff has had it forever- it’s one of our favorite food processing tools. The boy loves to be the one to turn the crank, and sample every batch while he’s at it.) We’ve made applesauce different ways and that’s our favorite method.

I cleaned out our freezers and brought some bags of blackberries (and some other miscellaneous berries) from last year’s harvest out to thaw, and we mixed them in with the applesauce which is what gave it that beautiful color. We also juiced ginger and added that because applesauce with ginger is our absolute favorite. By the time we wrapped up the applesauce making (we made A LOT), we knew we’d need to do the canning the next day.

I’d like to say we had a wonderful, peaceful day canning our applesauce for the winter, but when we heated up the applesauce to can it, even on the lowest temperatures, it kept wanting to burn on the bottom. We took turns stirring the applesauce. It had to be turned constantly so we had to do it in shifts because our arms would tire. Jeff and I looked at the incredible amount of applesauce before us that needed to be canned and how slow the process was going and started feeling discouraged- not wanting to think about how many hours and hours it would take.

So I finally said to heck with it- and I started filling up jars to freeze applesauce (with ample head space.) By that point Jeff was totally on board because we had orders and so many others things that needed doing besides being in apple land for days and days. We ended up only canning 9 quarts, and freezing the rest- 22 quarts. We prefer canning, if the power goes out with winter storms we don’t have to worry, and filling up our freezer always makes us feel a bit nervous for that reason but sometimes the easier way is such a relief, isn’t it? If the power goes out for too long we can just invite our friends over for an applesauce eating party so no applesauce in our freezer goes to waste, right?

Jeff mentioned that more applesauce to get us through the winter would be nice, but as much as we enjoy eating it- we both looked at each other and neither one of us is too anxious to be making any more applesauce this year. There are still more apples yet to process… we’re thinking dried apples are sounding pretty nice just about now!

rest, and healing foods

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Do you have certain comfort foods that bring back good memories, or that you crave when you’re not feeling well? Foods that feel deeply nourishing to your body and your soul? My grandma makes a simple, delicious soup with chicken broth and veggies that our whole family loves. It’s been in my thoughts lately. We call it Two Cup Soup, and it’s the ultimate comfort food for me. Both my mom and grandma have that soup ready and waiting when we fly to visit them, it’s become a tradition. (These pictures are from a visit to my grandma’s in 2017.)

What a good feeling it is to be welcomed by a warm bowl of soup after a long day of travel. The boy sometimes has less of an appetite when we’re traveling, but that magical soup restores his appetite every time and he will ask for seconds and thirds (even when the tiredness sets in.) When we arrive at her house at night, and she asks what we would like for breakfast in the morning, our answer is always the same, “leftover soup!”

I’ve been thinking about healing foods and comfort foods, and focusing on making lots of healing meals around here while Jeff is on the mend. The start to our year began differently than we expected, with a trip to the emergency room. It was scary at the time, when we were trying to figure everything out, but both Jeff and I agreed later that it was a blessing in disguise because it gave us a better insight into what was going on with his body and how to care for him better going forward.

We were all physically and emotionally exhausted afterwards, and ready to clear our schedule for a bit and just be home together as a family, giving Jeff some rest and recovery time. (Our pup, who adores Jeff, stuck to his side from the moment he walked in the door, we were all so glad to be with him.) There have been so many times over the years that Jeff has cared for me when I’ve needed it most, and it’s a good feeling when I am able to give him that care in return. What an honor it is to be of service to those we love, and I believe the feeling of being loved and cared for can be just as healing as the homemade soup or soothing tea we bring.

I had a stretch of days there where I had a pretty hard time keeping up with what I normally do, plus some of what Jeff normally does. I’d be hauling firewood (gotta keep that fire going this time of year), walking the dog twice a day, making meals, homeschooling, laundry, mailing orders and catching up on wholesale orders, washing an endless pile of dishes… and the days just weren’t long enough. I felt exhausted (it’s a challenge to keep up with everything around here when it’s the two of us), and that only made me appreciate everything that Jeff does around here even more. (He’s a really good cook, so with any break he has from cooking, no matter how short, I really miss his meals. We were all very happy when he was cooking again.)

On the phone the other day my sister described Jeff as a doer, and that he absolutely is. He’s without a doubt the hardest worker I’ve ever known, and resting doesn’t come easily to him. I’ve been proud of him, though, for the way he’s handled everything. First, for his sense of humor the entire time we were at the hospital (despite the fear and anxiety he felt at the time), making everyone around him laugh, and lightening the situation again and again. And then for coming home and accepting his limitations, while he heals, more easily than he ever has before (I still play the role of nagging wife from time to time 🙂 but I know how frustrating physical limitations can be so I feel for him) and for learning all he can about what he needs to do to care for himself in the best way possible. Humor is still an important part of his healing process and we seek out things to make us laugh on a daily basis because laughter truly is the best medicine and makes you feel so much better! (And if it sounds like he’s been idle, he has not, count on him to always find ways to get work done.)

I’m grateful that Jeff and I both share a passion for learning everything we can about health and that the well being of our family is such a huge priority for both of us. Because, let’s face it, it’s a lot of work to make healthy meals for your family every day. If we both didn’t care so much we wouldn’t have been making such an effort all these years to eat the very best we can, and share the responsibility of making meals.

We’ve been making lots of bone broth soups these last few weeks because they are so nourishing, comforting, and easy to digest. I make big batches of bone broth in the crock pot, and then I freeze the extra for future soups. We’re all wanting lots of bone broth soups right now. I’ve been thinking about what a valuable use of our time it is to make nourishing meals for our families and loved ones. I don’t usually have as much time to spend in the kitchen each day as I would like to, but over time my cooking skills improve and I get a bit faster too, which helps. I’m not an impressive cook by any means, but I really care about feeding my family well. Some weeks I’m better at prioritizing that than others. Whenever one of us is sick or not feeling well, it brings me back to that commitment in a stronger way. I’ve definitely been feeling the pull back to the kitchen this month.

I was away from the computer for a stretch, and this space has been quiet while I’ve been busy caring of my family. I have readers who worry when I don’t write here for too long, and I didn’t want to worry any of you. A few times I came here to write, but at first I simply didn’t have the time, and then later I was either too exhausted, or just didn’t have the right words yet. I wasn’t ready to jump back into the blog or any social media. I’ve simply wanted to be home with my family. We’re joining our regular activities again and life feels more normal each day as Jeff feels better, but I still feel like I haven’t been ready to fully dive back in just yet.

Whether it’s just a cold, or something more serious, having anyone in our family under the weather or feeling unwell is an opportunity to slow down and be reminded of what is most important. Looking back at the things I was worrying about the days before driving Jeff to the hospital, now they seem like such insignificant things to stress about in the grand scheme of things. I’m grateful that life reminds me again and again of what is most important. Love. Family. The people we hold dear. To those of you reading these words, I encourage you take your opportunities to step away from the screen, to set your phone away, and be present with the people around you- savoring each sacred moment that you are given. My favorite times with my family are not when we’re doing anything particularly special, but just being together. Disruptions in the daily routine make those simple times feel all the more precious, don’t they?

muffins {for busy weeks}

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You may have noticed that I take nearly all of my food pictures outside. (And my other pictures for that matter.) I love the outdoor lighting best.

Some weeks we are moving and going so much that it’s challenging for me to find as much time in the kitchen as I would like to. And those busy weeks are always the ones when we need more snacks to grab as we head out the door. I’m sure you can relate! I’ve been managing to squeeze in a little bit of baking in snippets of time here and there, and I’m all about the muffins right now. Our family loves them, they are great to eat at any time of day (breakfast, snack, you name it), and they are easy to grab quickly and bring along.

I recently made the apple-cinnamon muffins with coconut flour in The Wellness Mama Cookbook for the first time, and they got the stamp of approval around here. They were delicious, and I loved the nourishing ingredients. They were also the quickest muffins I’ve ever made- the ingredients were easy to put together in hardly any time, and they were out of the oven and ready in a flash. I like mentioning new recipes I’ve tried here whenever I find one worth sharing, and thought some of you might enjoy having a quick muffin recipe during your busy weeks too!

We’re all out of applesauce, and I need to get more so I can make another batch of these. I just went to the grocery store and got more applesauce, so I can make more. (The only tweak I made to the recipe, by the way, was to use less cinnamon, and omit the honey. Instead, I mixed ghee and honey together to spread on the muffins afterwards, inspired by my sister.) I sometimes feel bad when I share a recipe with you here that’s only available in a cookbook, but this time I’m happy to say that Katie at Wellness Mama also shared her recipe for apple-cinnamon muffins over on her blog. You don’t have to own a copy of her cookbook to make these delicious muffins, but her cookbook is wonderful and is quickly becoming another favorite of mine. 

We make meals here every single day, but I need to set aside more time for making snacks, and food for us to pack when we leave the house, and cook-ahead ingredients for meals. Ideally, I would have one day a week where a portion of the day was dedicated to kitchen time- making staples for the week ahead. Do any of you do that? I’ve done it to varying degrees on and off over the years, but mostly the longer spurts in the kitchen happen sporadically. I’m reminded again of how important it is and want to make it a priority. When our schedule gets back into a more normal rhythm (that won’t be until later in the month), I’d like to make a weekly block of time in the kitchen a habit. But in the meantime… I’m baking muffins when I can!

a green pie

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{A little pie story about the unexpected dessert I ended up making for Jeff’s birthday…..}

We celebrated Jeff’s birthday over the weekend. I figured I would probably be baking a chocolate cake, but we did something different this year. When I asked Jeff what he wanted for his birthday dessert, I handed him some favorite cookbooks and asked if there was anything he saw there that he’d like me to make. He looked at all the delicious pictures (while telling me how much he loved key lime pie), and then settled on the Chocolate, Avocado, Coconut, and Lime Pie from Cooking with Coconut Oil by Elizabeth Nyland. (You long time readers will remember me mentioning that cookbook quite a few times before, it’s a favorite. I wrote about the Apple and Fennel Slaw recipe here last May.)

The day I wanted to make Jeff’s birthday dessert, it was stormy and we lost power early in the day. When it came back on hours later, we ran around doing dishes, washing laundry, filling up jugs of water (in case we lost it again) and going out in the wind and rain to bring in more firewood to load up the wood stove. I said a little prayer that the power would stay on so I could use the food processor long enough to make his pie. It did, and I was grateful.

The pie recipe was so unique, and unlike anything I had ever made before. The pie wasn’t baked, instead you put it in the freezer. It wasn’t the first time I had made a dessert with avocado, though. (There are avocados in my Paleo Pudding recipe.) Bracken was by my side helping to smush the soft crust (with dates) into the pie pan with our hands. (That was fun.) After the crust, was a layer of chocolate. When that was frozen, the sweetened avocado and lime layer was added. A few coconut chips sprinkled on top, and it was ready for the freezer to finish up.

Before that, I wanted to take a picture. It was late in the day, and dark and stormy outside, so there wasn’t much natural light near the window to take one, but I had to take a picture of his green pie. That night, after dinner, we dug in. The pie turned out amazing. I was so glad he chose the recipe he did. Jeff raved and raved about it, I don’t think I’ve ever made a dessert he enjoyed quite that much. He told me on a scale from one to ten, it was a ten. (No better review than that!) He was so sad when the last piece was eaten a few days later. He wants another pie. I’ll definitely be making that recipe again, and the next time we all decided that the one thing it needs is another chocolate layer!

nut butter maker

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The weekend before last we visited my dad and stepmom in southern Oregon, returned their truck we had borrowed, and did a project in the kitchen while we were there. One time I brought them some jars of the sprouted hazelnut coconut oil spread (long name) or nut butter (short name) I enjoy making. My dad raved about it and asked me to make him more. That made me so happy. I thought it would be fun if we made it together and for Christmas (or his birthday, I’m forgetting) I gave him a coupon for a nut butter making session. (Don’t all daughters give their dads coupons for that? Ha!)

This time, rather than getting hazelnuts, I got almonds. I picked them up at Hummingbird Wholesale in Eugene (it’s still a fairly new discovery for me, I love that place!) (By the way, are any of you local friends part of a buying club with them? I’ve been looking into it.) Their sprouted almonds were on sale, so I didn’t even need to do my usual soaking method before making the nut butter.

We started with a bag of almonds, some coconut oil, and some honey (+ a food processor) and ended up with jars of delicious almond butter. (The coconut oil link is an affiliate link to my very favorite coconut oil of all time, which I’ve mentioned before here.) We used the same general recipe I shared here before for hazelnut spread, except that the almonds were already salted so the recipe didn’t need any salt. Also, I’ve found that almonds, being sweeter than hazelnuts, require less honey when making the nut butter. We did something fun and added some cocoa powder to a few batches, which turned out really good!

With the extra jars we weren’t going to eat right away, we were able to freeze. That was a wonderful thing to discover- that you can freeze nut butter! (Remember to leave some head space in your jars for the ones you are going to freeze. The jars pictured were destined for the fridge, so we filled them to the top.) It was great to make so many batches all at once, and in the future I definitely want to do it that way. Making it as a group was so much more enjoyable too, in addition to being quicker to make and quicker to clean up. We saved money by making it ourselves, and in my opinion the taste was in a realm of it’s own.

We have a tradition of going blueberry picking every summer with my dad and stepmom, and my dad suggested we start a new tradition of having a nut-butter-making-party every winter. I said a big YES to that idea! (Though we realized it would need to happen more often than once per year to keep us stocked in nut butter.) My dad (a goofball, he passed it down to me) cracked us all up when he announced, in the middle of our efforts in the kitchen, that he was “Bob Baker! Nut Butter Maker!” He did seem to have a special knack for it… 🙂

Jeff just shared an article with me (What 15 Almonds a Day Can Do For You) about some of the health benefits of eating almonds and I found it really interesting, so thought I would share. (One caveat: I’d definitely stick with organic after learning about some of the processing methods! And if you are concerned about the water usage California almonds require, Oregon hazelnuts are a great option. We continue to enjoy almonds, though not as our sole nut source.)

Something else I felt like mentioning: I know coconut oil has gotten a lot of bad press recently and I’ve been hearing people say they are afraid to eat it now, which saddens me. I love coconut oil and believe it to be an incredible health food. In case any of you are interested in reading it, Chris Kresser wrote an informative article about the topic here, Dr. Mercola wrote about it here, Mark Sisson goes into it here, and Wellness Mama has an article about coconut oil in general here.

But back to the nut butter… since our kitchen session, we’ve been eating a spoonful of nut butter out of the jar here and there for a quick snack. We’ve enjoyed it on apple slices for years, but most recently have been spreading it on bananas (with a few raisins, basically ants on a log– but with bananas rather than celery) for a sweet treat. I love that it’s not only delicious, but healthy too. My dad loves his on toast. What are your favorite ways to eat nut butter?

On another note: I had a reader write to me recently saying that she wanted to easily print some of the recipes I’ve shared here, but since there is no copy and paste option on my blog, she had to resort to writing them all down by hand. I’m aware of the problem, and I apologize to those of you who have struggled with that. I tried to use a recipe card plugin years back to make it easy for you all to print recipes, but it didn’t work. My next plan was to include a link in each post to a pdf with the recipe, to easily print. That’s still the plan, though it’s a time consuming task for me to do that for all the recipes I’ve shared here, so I’ve decided to do it a recipe at a time. There is now a pdf file for you to download at the bottom of the Hazelnut Spread recipe post, it’s a start! (It’s nothing fancy, just an excerpt from the blog post with the recipe, but I was proud to create a pdf file all by myself. The next ones may or may not be fancier.) Are there any other recipes here that are your particular favorites that you would like to see in an easy-to-print format? If so, please let me know, that way I can prioritize which recipes to focus on first. I always appreciate hearing from you, thanks! 

shelling, it’s a thing

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Thanks so much for your comments on Monday’s post. I’m still down with the crud (and it’s been over a week now!), …so let’s look at some sunny pictures from Florida to lift our spirits, shall we? I’ve been wanting to share the favorite parts of our trip. 

My mom loves shells more than anyone I have ever met. I’ve never known a person to get so excited over shells, or to enjoy collecting them as much as she does. There were times she would call me from the beach, happy as a clam, while she enjoyed her favorite therapy after a stressful work week, an activity she began referring to as shelling. I believe we all need to find our own unique ways to reduce stress in our lives, and what works can look different for each of us. I encouraged my mom in her shelling because I could hear the difference in her voice, a lighthearted joy, and could feel how good it was for her well being.

Sometimes my mom would jokingly refer to me as “The Crazy Knitting Lady” (in a loving way, of course, she has more requests for things she wants me to knit for her than anyone) and in the spirit of the joke, I started referring to her as “The Crazy Shell Lady.” Shells started becoming a part of her home and garden decor more and more, and she made a sign that had the word Beach written in shells. For Christmas one year she decorated a picture frame with shells and gave it to Bracken with a picture of the two of them inside.

As she came up with more crafting projects that included shells, we would joke that she was going to become one of those really crazy shell ladies and bedazzle her entire house in shells in a totally over-the-top way. (Imagine every surface- walls, ceilings- covered in shells… and you’ll get the idea.) My mom and I couldn’t help cracking up over that hilarious image in our minds, and even writing about it I can’t help but smile. (That being said, we do love shell crafts and honestly, we think her place could use a whole lot more of them. Look at these fun craft ideas with shells here, and here.)

During our most recent trip to visit my mom in Florida, I noticed a lot of shells with holes in them and thought they would be good for hanging. We saw some places along the beach where people took the broken shells and hung them on branches. I loved it and my mom said she had been wanting to do the same thing in her yard.

We collected shells at the beach that had holes in them. They were easy to find because there were so many of them. For the shells that had large holes, we hung them all over the branches of the sea grape plant outside my mom’s door. With the shells that had smaller holes in them, we used fishing line and hung them from the branches that way. (I love the one that Bracken strung with a whole bunch of shells on it.) As we stood back to admire the sea grape, the shells all over gave it such a fun look. …And now we’re looking forward to adding to it every time we visit!

Outside my mom’s door, she also has a shell table. (Reminds me of the nature treasure table at my grandma’s house.) We would bring home some shells from our beach visits and separate them into the different kinds. (Isn’t that spotted crab shell amazing, by the way?) Now I want to find a good book on identifying different types of shells, that would be a great homeschool project!

Oh, and one final picture to share in this post… my mom found a coconut shell on the beach and gave it to Bracken. He used it to hold special shells that he found, and then it came home with us. It might be a regular occurrence in Florida, but in Oregon it’s not every day you come across a coconut shell, so it was considered quite a treasure.

So, that was some of the shell-related fun we had during our trip. I had never heard of the term shelling before, and was going to give my mom credit for it, but I just searched and it came up on Wikipedia. It had various meanings, but one of them was searching for seashells. The next time I go to the beach and look for shells, I’ll keep my mom in mind, and I might just say “See you later! I’m going shelling!” Because shelling, it’s a thing, you know.

our {unexpected} holiday

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For so long Jeff and I talked about wanting to go to the ocean more often. It wasn’t all that far away and yet sometimes we’d only get there once or twice a year. Every time we would go we would love it so much and feel so rejuvenated that we’d say how we needed to go more often, and then another stretch of time would pass before we would find ourselves back there again. That is slowly changing though, as our family is realizing just how very good that time is for our well being, and we feel a stronger and stronger pull to go. The self-care time that the beach brings is something that we are making more of a priority. And we’re all in agreement about this. No one in our family has ever not wanted to go when someone suggested going to the beach!

The main complaint I hear from friends about the beach, though? The wind! Yes, it gets very windy along the coast. That’s why whenever we happen to have an amazing beach day with hardly any wind, we feel so lucky. Jeff and I had decided we wanted to go to the beach after all the holiday orders and gifts had been mailed out, and when he looked at the forecast the best beach weather happened to be on Solstice. Going to the ocean that day was a wonderful way to celebrate. The forecast said only 5 mph winds and though it was completely overcast in the morning, we had a window of time that day with the sun shining bright. It felt so warm and good. (Amazing how warm it felt, even in December, with hardly any wind.) That evening we saw a beautiful sunset on our way home. We talked about wanting to go again soon, but nothing in the forecast looked promising for awhile.

But then… on Christmas day Jeff suggested going to the beach. We had decided to stay at home for Christmas this year, rather than visit family, because we were so glad to have what felt like the first real holiday season at home for us. We planned to visit family and celebrate with them right after Christmas instead. That day, even though I was so happy to be home with our little family, all cozy in our jammies opening presents, I found myself missing our other family. I was surprised when Jeff brought up the beach, we had planned to have a cozy day at home, and the weather looked like it was going to be cloudy and cold (and probably windy too.) But Jeff had a feeling it was going to be a good beach day and Bracken and I were up for checking it out. We quickly bundled up in coats or ponchos, and wool hats, and headed out the door.

I cannot say how grateful I was that Jeff had that feeling that day and that we all agreed to go along with it. As we neared the beach the clouds parted and the sun came out. The sun was warm on our faces, the sand felt amazing under our bare feet, and the ocean water was rejuvenating. We weren’t the only ones who had the idea to go to the beach that day, there were so many friendly faces and people saying “Merry Christmas” to each other as they walked by. Someone had written XMAS 2017 in the sand. We saw people in Santa hats, including a baby (adorable), and dogs running and playing. The overall feeling was so joyful and I loved sitting against a warm rock and watching all the people running in the water and walking by.

One of the best parts of the day was an unexpected friend we met. We saw a gal over on some rocks who looked like she had a bird with her, and we were all curious about it. When she came closer we saw that she had a duck with her. As she walked by us we chatted and she introduced us to Oscar, the duck. And then she told us his story. He had been attacked by a dog when he was a duckling and she had rehabilitated him. Since that time he had followed her everywhere she went. He was a love, and let everyone who passed by pet him. It was such a fun experience, and I saw that kind gal and her feathered friend bring so many smiles as they walked along the beach.

Our day was not what I had expected. I hadn’t expected to go to the ocean for Christmas, or to meet a duck named Oscar, or to feel the ache of missing family lift as I was surrounded by so much kindness and joy and happy faces all around me, or to be blessed with such beautiful weather while we were there (or to have two beach days so close together!), but it was such a wonderful Christmas beyond my expectations and one I know we will always remember. When you head out the door, even for something that doesn’t seem like all that much of an adventure, you just never know what unexpected things might be in store or what surprises might delight you.

our fifth year {winter light faire}

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Where did the week go? I feel like I blinked and suddenly it’s Friday. I had been meaning to come here all week, but a day would slip past me and then I’d think I would come the next day and the same thing would happen. Last week I was burning the candle from both ends and staying up too late and too often to get more work done. It caught up to me and the exhaustion set in. I knew this week I needed to get to bed at a decent time whether my work was finished or not. (I’m still learning!)

Exhaustion seems to amplify everything doesn’t it? It makes a list of tasks suddenly feel like overwhelm too big to handle. It makes little things- like dropping something heavy on your toe while you’re cleaning- suddenly feel like the last straw that turns a day into a bad day. But luckily, when you accidentally bump your spoon and send mashed potatoes flying in the air like a catapult, and in the most silly and ridiculous way possible they land right on your current knitting project- it makes you laugh like crazy and get some perspective again. (It could have gone the other way, I could have cried. It’s not the first time I’ve spilled food on my knitting, but it was seriously so funny that all I could do was laugh.)

The Winter Light Faire. That’s what I came here to write about. Bracken and I went to that at the Waldorf School last weekend, looking forward to it as we always do. I had plans to arrive early, but got there a little late instead because I had so much to wrap up before we left. Luckily, we still had plenty of time to do all the activities we wanted to do anyway. As you can see, I hardly took any pictures this year. (More pictures in last year’s post.) We didn’t make a wreath this year, we made a holiday swag instead. (I guess that’s what it’s called, wasn’t sure if I was using the correct terminology there.) We hung it next to our front door.

The highlight was the performance of the Nutcracker at the end, which is probably what Bracken looks forward to most every year. This year he asked me how many times we had gone to the Winter Light Faire and out of curiosity, I looked it up. The first time we had gone Bracken was three! This was our fifth year going. Amazing how time flies by like that, isn’t it?

 

P.S. Are any of you planning to go to the Trunk Show tomorrow?

chia date pudding with coconut milk

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I’m so delighted to share this recipe with you, it’s a family favorite right now. I have my sister to thank for this since she was the one who really sparked my interest in chia seeds in the first place. I had been experimenting with making chia seed puddings with coconut milk for awhile and finally over the summer I came up with a blend and said “This is it!” I loved it, but what made me even happier was the fact that Jeff and Bracken loved it too. When I come up with a recipe that my family enjoys I am so very pleased!

I’ve been making this pudding a few times a week. Whenever I have ripe bananas, I know it’s time to make more pudding. It is is so easy to make and so yummy, that I had to share it with you. It’s nourishing, with so many healthy ingredients. There’s potassium from the banana in this recipe and dates are a potassium powerhouse, with even more potassium than bananas. The coconut milk is full of healthy fats and the chia seeds… where do I start? They have almost five times the amount of calcium as milk, are a good source of Omega 3’s, and are high in fiber. (Here is a great article about chia seeds and their many benefits!)

Chia Date Pudding with Coconut Milk

1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)

1 banana

3 dates

3 tbsp chia seeds

 

Directions:

In the blender (or food processor, whichever you have available) add your coconut milk, banana, and dates. (To make the dates easier to blend, take them out of the fridge awhile before you are wanting to use them and they will soften up.) After your mix is fully blended, pour it into a container. I like to use a glass, quart size mason jar. Pour in your chia seeds and stir them in well. (I like to leave the jar on the counter for a little while and stir up the pudding every time I pass it and think about it, so the chia seeds will be well dispersed.)

[Time saving tip: I usually make two batches of this pudding at a time. And while I have the blender out, I typically make some frozen pops also to make the most of my time and efforts in the kitchen. When I make two batches of the pudding, though, I use two separate jars because I like the consistency better at the end if it’s not in one giant jar where most of the seeds sink to the bottom.]

After stirring, put a lid on your jar and move your pudding into the fridge. The chia seeds are easier to digest when they are soaked before eating them, and you get more nutrients from them that way too. (Plus the soaked chia seeds are what thicken up the pudding in this recipe.) It’s best to leave it there for probably 8 – 12 hours before eating it. If I make chia pudding in the morning, we sometimes eat it that night or if I make a batch at night, we can eat it the next morning. I like it best when I make it in the morning and eat it the next day, though, because I think it tastes even better when the chia seeds have soaked longer and all the flavors meld together longer.

You can make the pudding sweeter by adding more dates. I’ve made a batch with 5 dates that was really sweet, but I prefer 3 dates because that’s plenty sweet for all of us. I’ve also played around with the amount of chia seeds I’ve used. The batch pictured had 5 tablespoons, but after trying all different amounts I would say 3-4 tablespoons per batch. 4 tablespoons will make the pudding a little thicker and 3 tablespoons will be a little on the thinner side. My very favorite is 3 tablespoons, but have fun playing around with this recipe and see what you like best!

When I serve this recipe, I often sprinkle a little bee pollen on top for the nutrients and that pleasant, slightly crunchy texture. (Just like I mentioned before, using it like sprinkles on top of ice cream. Local beekeeper love to Humble Bee Honey, who provides our favorite bee pollen.) Also, this pudding really shines with some fresh or frozen berries on top! The berries are an essential addition in my opinion. I’m not sure how long this pudding will stay good in the fridge because it never sticks around long enough for us to find out.

A Note On Ingredients, Thrive Market, & Prosperity:

As I mentioned before in my posts Strawberry Beet Pops and Blueberry Basil Pops, Thrive Market is our favorite place to purchase organic coconut milk. It’s also our favorite place to get the dates and chia seeds for this recipe. Before purchasing those ingredients from Thrive Market, I was buying them from health food stores and local grocery stores, where we were spending much more. We save so much money buying those ingredients from Thrive. As I’ve also mentioned before, my link to Thrive Market is an affiliate link and if you become a member with them through that link you will get 25% off your first order. (Anytime you join, your membership will sponsor a free membership for a low-income family. How wonderful is that?) Also, when you become a member through that link our family will receive Thrive Cash towards our next food purchases there, which we so appreciate. Some of you have already joined through our link since my previous posts and I wanted to say thank you for the support!

Speaking of Thrive Market, they were featured in a recently released documentary called Prosperity. It was so inspiring to watch! (I already loved Thrive Market before, but loved their company even more after watching, and feel so good about supporting their mission to make healthy living affordable for everyone.) Watching Prosperity gave me hope for the future of business as a means to do good rather than cause harm to people and planet, with the only goal being to make money for a few. We have so much power to create positive change in this world by voting with our money. It really instilled the importance of supporting companies we believe in that are doing good in this world because more companies will follow their lead if that’s what the customers are demanding. Sustainable solutions are all around us, let’s support that! I thought I would mention the documentary here because I believe it has a free online viewing for a few more days and you can watch it here.

Happy pudding making! And eating! Please give me your feedback on this recipe and let me know what you think. Did your family love it? Like the texture? Find the texture a bit strange? Did you tweak the ingredients? What did you come up with? I’d love to hear!

to the water

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We celebrated my birthday last week after we got back from the fiber festival. I thought this year we would do something different and rent a boat at a nearby lake, thinking it would be really fun to be out on the lake for the day, but we missed the cutoff for the boat rentals by a few days so it wasn’t meant to be. Instead we headed to the ocean, and we had such a nice time I wouldn’t have traded it. It was overcast and a bit chilly when we first arrived, but then the sun came out and it warmed up. When we go to the ocean to celebrate one of our birthdays, it always feels like a celebration for our whole family because we all love going to the beach so darn much. I saw the word love written in the sand and it made me smile, and Bracken happily buried our feet in the sand, what a good feeling that is.

I also did some kind things for myself last week, like taking the time to clean out my two knitting tubs and then casting on three knitting projects, which made me so very happy. We went to the river by our house one evening last week too, popping by there briefly before we headed back home to make dinner. Initially we felt too busy that day to squeeze it in, but then Jeff and I decided at the spur of the moment to go and Bracken, of course, was delighted. That short period of time we spent there was such a highlight of our day. Being there, we wondered why in the world we didn’t go there more often.

The other day frustrations popped up and projects got interrupted and it felt like we could hardly make any progress on what we were wanting to focus on, so we all decided on a break from all that to go to the river. Again it was only a short period of time we spent there before dinner, but it was amazingly rejuvenating. I brought my knitting while Jeff and Bracken explored and tried to catch tiny fish and crawdads in a net to look at. I could feel our tension melting away by the minute and a deeper peace and relaxation come flowing in. We’ve all been craving time in nature and especially going to the water- the lake, the river, the ocean. Our schedule is full, our days are busy, but whenever we take the opportunity to squeeze in a little more time outside we’re all the better for it, those breathers can really work wonders.

Sometimes peace is so much closer than we think, and when we slow down our pace and breathe deeply, we can relax into the peace that lives in that quiet place inside us.

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