Waffles

This is a basic waffle recipe and my classic standby. It's fromallrecipes.com, I just modify it all little bit. To make a soaked version, mix the flour and milk and add a teaspoon of vinegar the night before and add everything else in the morning. You can leave on the counter if you use raw milk, if you use regular milk I would refrigerate.

Waffles

2 cups flour (any mix will work, I usually use 1/2 unbleached white and 1/2 wheat or all wheat)

2 tsp baking powder

2 TB sweetener (depends on the moment, any version of sugar or honey works)

1 tsp salt

2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 TB oil (I use coconut or olive)

Mix well and cook on hot waffle iron.

Serves 4-6

Pancakes

This is my favorite pancake recipe.

I thought it came from Katie, but I can't find it on her site, so maybe I am

remembering wrong :-) If it is your recipe, let me know and I can link properly to give you credit!

The Best Pancakes Ever

3 cups whole wheat flour*

1 cup buttermilk or milk or yogurt **

1 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine ingredients and leave on the counter, covered, to soak 12-24 hours.

(I usually leave overnight and I find I often need to add an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of water to the recipe, otherwise my batter is too thick, sometimes I add it in water with the above and sometimes I add it in milk with the ingredients added in the morning)

Just before cooking, add:

4 lightly beaten eggs

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Melt 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter or spray oil in your pan and heat. Cook on a med/high temperature.

For us, a HALF batch makes enough to easily feed me and the 3 kids. If there is anyone else eating with us I make a full batch. OR I make a full batch and freeze the remainder for a quick breakfast later!

*This recipe works with all regular whole wheat flour, it is much better with half whole wheat and half pastry/white flour and is best with all pastry flour.

I use 1/2 and 1/2 almost all the time.

** Because you are adding vinegar to the milk, it's a "fake" buttermilk of sorts and hasn't had a problem sitting on my counter overnight. Raw milk would be safest for this though if you choose to use milk. You can also use the dairy choice in place of the water for richer pancakes.

I usually use yogurt and water with the added vinegar and have no issues leaving it sit out. If I am going to add milk rather then water for any additional liquid, I usually add it in the morning and let it sit with the water overnight.

I also often add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter in the morning, I think it adds nice flavor and some added nutrition.

Meal-planning

Menu's and meal planning really help me out...... alot. It is so helpful to know what direction I need to head each day and thru the week. However, my menus are never "set in stone". I usually make a list for the week of the meals I am planning to make. If I know how my week is going to go, what my husband's work schedule is like, what we have plans to do, I will try and assign days for the meals. Some weeks, I put meals with days and though we eat many of the meals planned, they don't end up on the day planned. That's okay. It used to bother me. I got over it. Some weeks I just list meals I have everything for and go from there. But, it is helpful to know where I am heading in the week. For example: if I have planned to make White Chicken Chili, I need to start soaking the beans ahead of time, unless I have some in the freezer I want to use. And since I often try to have dinner well under way before late afternoon, it is helpful to get my meats or beans out of the freezer a day before rather then the morning of, sometimes frozen ground beef is hard to work with :-) I use my crockpot often. And I usually plan for at least one leftover meals day a week. Oftentimes Sunday so I don't have to cook.

For breakfast and lunch, I usually just have a list - in my head or sometimes written out - of ideas to work off of. Breakfast usually rotates thru a variety of egg dishes (especially if my husband is eating with us), french toast, oatmeal, yogurt or muffins. Lunches are usually pretty random. Leftovers, sandwiches or pasta are typical. Though I am working on expanding my ideas here and making some "real" lunches for the kids instead of just tossing something together at noon :-)

So, as I post various meal menus, know that as pretty as a planned list looks, it probably won't happen like I have planned. Life happens, being self-employed and having 4 young children my life is busy and unexpected things are expected and I often decide for sure what's for dinner each day anticipating what that day will be like.

Thoughts for Today - Daily Choices

"I am more convinced then ever that even in the midst of the mundane, burdensome and oftentimes frustrating tasks of life allotted to me as a mother, God wants me to find His joy. He want every single day of my life to be a celebration of his blessings, whether large or small. He want me to celebrate life - the life he has given me...... the joy-filled life is not found by diminishing my God-given responsibilities as a women, wife and mother, nor can I find joy merely by refusing to face the hard realities of life in a fallen world. There is a tension between ideals and realities. True joy is found by living somewhere between the ideal life and daily realities. That is where Jesus meets me, where his Holy Spirit empowers and where I learn how to live the Christian life with supernatural joy. To celebrate life is simply a choice. Every day, God extends his hand to offer me the gift of another day to live. I have the choice to take that gift and turn it into 24 hours of real life in Christ, or just let it become another 24 hours endured in a broken world. If I choose to accept it-to transform those minutes and hours into life lived for and with my Savior- I have the opportunity to see God at work, enjoy his presence, wonder at his creation, appreciate the expressions of beauty and love and touch the minds and hearts of my children with his reality. That's certainly what I desire, but it is a choice I have to make daily"

~from Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson, pg 33-34

Thoughts for Today - Savor the Season

Time is short and forever is eternal.

It constantly reminds me that we need to spend the time we have left on earth accomplishing things for the Lord Jesus. We are here for a purpose. It also is a constant reminder to me that I don't know how long I'll have with any of my kids. Let us remember that relationships we build here with our kids will last forever as we spend it in eternity together. When you're tempted to be upset about temporal irritations, remember, the heart of your child is so much more important and we need to invest our time in building little lives that will honor and serve their Savior.

Savor the Season

~Marilyn Boyer

www.thelearningparent.blogspot.com

This paragraph stood out to me in THIS blog post from the Boyer's blog. I am constantly encouraged by the Boyer's reminders from parents who are further along the road of parenting then I am.

You will also be encouraged by THIS article with the reminder of keeping an eternal perspective as a mama and housewife.

Breakfast Menus

Breakfast menus

I don't usually schedule breakfasts, but I do have a handful I rotate through and try not to have the same thing every morning :-) Unless of course, my husband is around and he would be thrilled if I just made bacon with eggs and potatoes every morning!

Here's a list of breakfasts you might find around here:

Eggs and potatoes

Quiche

Pancakes

Yogurt Muslei

Granola (either on yogurt or with milk)

Biscuits and Gravy (we all love this, but it's not the healthiest meal we do, it's usually a weekend treat!)

French Toast

Dutch Baby (Here's a soaked option too)

Waffles (although my pancake recipe above works good for waffles too!)

For the couple meals listed above that don't really need a recipe :-) Here's what I usually do.

Eggs and potatoes

Cook potatoes the night before, if you're smart and remember in the same oven you heat up for your dinner :-) Cool and refrigerate.

In the morning, dice the potatoes. Brown in a skillet with a little butter and olive oil. Once warmed through and browned to your liking, add in eggs (already broke and mixed well!).

Cook and serve with toast.

This is also very easy to add other veggies too - spinach, tomatoes, onions, cauliflower are favorites around here. I usually add when the potatoes are done before the eggs, except for onions, those go in with the potatoes!

If you have never tried eggs and cauliflower together - you have got to try it! They make a wonderful combination and not one I am sure I would have put together except for my husband telling me to try it.

French Toast

Beat well 3-6 eggs (depending on how much you are making)

Add in a little milk, dash of salt is optional. Mix really well.

Dip in bread, flip over with fork until all the bread is well coated.

Cook on a med-high pan, with butter or coconut oil melted in it, till nicely browned.

Depending on what kind of bread you use, will also vary the amount of eggs you need. Some breads absorb the liquid much more then others - homemade and such I often need to double the eggs, a firmer bread like store bought sourdough doesn't absorb as much.

Serve with butter and cinnamon (and a little powdered sugar if you wish)

My mom also used to make this by coated the egg dipped bread into some flaxseed/wheat germ/cinnamon mixture before placing in the pan. This makes a nice coating and adds some wonderful flavor as well.

Thoughts for Today - Are you content?

"If I learn to be content, joy will naturally follow. Like thankfulness though, I have to choose to be content before I can know joy. It's an act of faith......... The only way to attain true contentment is to rest in God and depend on his grace. It is a spiritual issue, not a practical one. Contentedness will not come from being more organized, sleeping longer, being a better wife, keeping a nicer home, using higher-quality materials, taking more time for yourself, or what it is you think might help. Contentedness is learned by accepting life each day as God gives it to you, and adjusting your expectations to life's limitations. "

~from Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson, pg 37

Are you content?