Well I have been trying to make small steps to healthier eating and one thing I’m doing pretty well at is making my green smoothies almost every day. They are yummy and easy and it makes me feel good that I’m getting tons of fruits and veggies into my diet. If this is something that is important to you, you may have already bought (or are planning to buy) a heavy duty super blender. If this is the case, this is some exciting news. You can actually GRIND WHEAT in your blinder (without liquid) so you can start using your wheat in your every day cooking even if you haven’t been able to purchase a wheat grinder yet. Yay!

I bought my refurbished Blendtec last year during a sweet Black Friday sale and I was surprised by the fact that I ended up using this appliance nearly every day (sometimes twice a day). Well the other day I was in a rush to make pizza and I remembered that I had seen a bread dough recipe in my manual. I decided to try to make my pizza dough in the blender to save time on pulling out a wheat grinder since my blender was already on my counter. Plus I was curious. Here is a rundown of the experiment.

Measured in the wheat kernels

I mixed all of the other ingredients in a separate bowl and then poured them in.
This is the pizza recipe I use, it’s delish!

Pizza dough ready for the pan

YUMMMMMMY!

The only problem was it seemed like a bit of the dough surrounding the blender blades got partially cooked from the heat of the blades so I pulled that part off and the rest of the dough was just fine. I’ll let you in on another little secret too. I was experimenting with freeze dried mozzarella cheese for this meal as well and the family didn’t even know any different. But more about that another day

p.s. If you are drooling over a blender, Blendtec is offering free shipping through May 8th. Sweet!

It wouldn’t be a proper party without a CAKE right? In honor of our party this month here is a great shelf stable cake recipe for your enjoyment Don’t forget to check back on Monday for SURPRISE #2, it’s a good one!

Dry Ingredients
3 cup sifted flour ( I sift after measurement)
2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients:
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
¾ cup canola oil
2 cup water

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Put all dry ingredients into a large bowl and sift together 3. Mix all the wet into one bowl then add to dry ingredients. This is a really wet batter and there may be a few lumps. 4. Pour into a 13 x 9 ungreased pan. 5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes at 350deg. (Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and increase cook time to 45 minutes for a glass pan).

Frosting:
1. Set aside 1 cup chocolate chips and 2 handfuls of marshmallows 2. In a sauce pan add: 3. 1 cup sugar 4. ¼ cup butter 5. ¼ cup milk 6. Stir occasionally on a medium heat until it comes to a boil. Do not boil. Remove from burner. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and 2 handful’s of marshmallows until melted into frosting. Frost cake

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil
Nuts, dates, raisins (opt)

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients. Then stir in the applesauce, oil, and nuts or fruits (opt). Bake in a 9×9 pan at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Top each piece with warm apple sauce when serving.

Special Notes:
When serving this cake do NOT leave off the dollop of warm applesauce on each piece. It balances out the sweetness of the cake and makes all the difference.

So this Thanksgiving we concocted a sneaky plan …

Two Innocent-Looking Pumpkin Cake Batters

One is made with 100% fresh ground whole wheat flour, the other is made with store-bought white flour. (Hint, white flour is on the left)

Can You Tell the Difference?

The whole wheat cake (right) was a little darker. The white flour cake (left) rose a little higher. We are thinking we could probably add a little more leavening to the recipe to get the whole wheat to rise equally.

The Finished Products!

Our beautiful cakes were a hit at our Thanksgiving party at our Aunt Irene’s house, even though we somehow ended up with about 8 different desserts there. Gotta love Thanksgiving!

The Results???

Jodi made sure to serve up a slice of the WHOLE WHEAT CAKE to her dad. He commented that the cake was really delicious. We asked him if it tasted different and he said no. He wasn’t too happy when we gleefully told him it was made with whole wheat flour. Everyone else in the family raved over it too. This is a family favorite recipe so they would have known if something was off. We both tested a small piece of each of the cakes and felt like we could MAYBE taste a slight difference but if we weren’t eating them side by side you would NEVER know. Yay!

The Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. cooking oil
1 large can pumpkin
2 c. flour (whole wheat works GREAT)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. soda

Frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix well. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 9×13 ungreased pan. Mix together frosting ingredients and pour on top. EAT AND ENJOY!

p.s. Just for fun, check out the disaster that occurred at Jodi’s house during the event. Gotta love little “helpers”!

   

We’ve been so busy with the Seven Day Challenge, One Second After group book discussion, and the Thanksgiving holiday, that we haven’t done a segment in our Food Storage Makeover series for a few months. Today Jodi shows Grandma Lori how to convert her favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe into a fabulous food storage recipe that is easier, faster, healthier, and just as delicious!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe – food storage style

Soup
3 large chicken breasts
1/2 c. dehydrated celery
1/3 c. dehydrated onions
1/4 c. dehydrated carrots
9 cups of water
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Noodles
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 c. water

Directions
Add all ingredients into a pressure cooker. Cook according to your pressure cooker’s directions for chicken breasts. Using the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker this was 15 minutes on high pressure (we used frozen chicken breasts). While the chicken cooks, prepare noodles. Knead for 5-10 minutes in a mixer with dough hooks. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a pizza cutter into 1/4 inch strips about 3 inches long. Separate the noodles and let dry out a little bit. When chicken is done cooking, remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. While cutting, set your pressure cooker to a browning setting and throw in the noodles to cook. Add the cut up chicken back in and cook until noodles are soft. ENJOY!

VARIATIONS
One of my favorite things to do is make a batch of this soup without the noodles. Then I make a big batch of brown rice in the pressure cooker. I separate the rice into lunch-size portions and put the soup in a large tupperware. Every day I mix a little bowl of soup with rice added in and it is a delicious, healthy, low-fat, quick, easy lunch for me!

Another favorite family recipe made easier and faster using food storage is Chicken Tortellini Soup. The basic soup is very similar to the above recipe. I’ll share my tricks on that one another day!

Benefits of Wheat

• Wheat provides you with a whole grain
• Wheat can be stored for over 30 years if kept in a cool, dry place
• Whole wheat retains all of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber
• There are no preservatives or additives in wheat you grind yourself
• You can sprout wheat and use it in smoothies, salads, soups, etc.
• You can use wheat to extend your meat

There are many different kinds of wheat you can read about in our Types of Wheat post. Our favorite all-purpose wheat is hard white wheat. If you don’t have a local source for wheat, you can buy it (along with tons of other food storage products) with only $4.49 shipping anywhere in the contiguous US at Honeyville Grains.

Wheat Grinder Options

To use wheat as flour, you need a wheat grinder. Here is a short video on a couple of options you have for grinders.

We have been huge fans of the Wondermill Electric since we both got ours 2 years ago, but have never really touched on the Wonder Jr Hand Grinder. We haven’t talked much about it because we use our Electrics several times a week and have never been faced with a powerless situation.

In our 7 Day Challenge, we had a mock emergency where there was no power for one of the days. Also, in our Group Discussion of the book One Second After, there was an extended amount of time where there was no power. The thought of living without power for more then just 2 or 3 hours has started to feel a little more possible, so we decided it was time to practice on the Wonder Junior. When Julie used it for the 7 Day Challenge to make her family pancakes she was amazed at how easy it was to use, and how finely it ground the flour.

When choosing a wheat grinder, you just have to ask yourself some questions. Am I getting this for everyday cooking, or for a powerless situation? If there were a powerless situation, would I know how to use my wheat and my grinder? Do I store wheat (and other grains) I know how to use in recipes for daily living, and for emergency situations?

Basic Wheat Recipes

Whole Grain Waffles
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Whole Wheat Pasta Noodles
Whole Wheat Bread

Black Friday Sales

Shhhh don’t tell anyone, but you’re getting in on the good news early. We’ll be sending out an email Wednesday with a bunch of Black Friday – Cyber Monday sales. The Wheat Grinders will be at the lowest price we’re allowed to sell them for, and FREE SHIPPING. We already have it in the system, so you can be an early bird shopper today.

In this video, I show you how to make my favorite – spinach whole wheat noodles- (recipe from grandma lori!) using wheat ground from my Wondermill. I’m also copying a recipe for regular whole wheat noodles (without spinach) that I have tried and love as well. You can try with the regular one first, then when you’re feeling brave go for the spinach noodles. They taste great, and even my dad ate them – he’s pickier then most children.

Sorry there are no pictures of the cooked product. I ended up bringing the lasagna to my parents house to prove to my dad how yummy healthy can be. He loved it, and we ate it before I remembered to pull out my camera.

Here are all the recipes for an incredible homemade, and HEALTHY lasagna. If you’re feeling up to it, try making the sauce from scratch too. This is not the type of lasagna that will make you feel heavy and bloated after. Oh I want some right now!

HOMEMADE LASAGNA

Ingredients:
Cooked lasagna noodles (12 noodles)
Marinara sauce of your choice
Ricotta cheese or Cottage cheese
Grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
In a 9×13 pan spread small layer of marina sauce at the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of cooked noodles to cover the pan. Spread a layer of sauce, ricotta or cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat for 3 layers. Cook at 350 for 40 minutes.

HOMEMADE SPINACH WHOLE WHEAT NOODLES

Ingredients:
8 ounces of fresh spinach (1 package: 10 ounces frozen spinach can be substituted)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour (I used 1 cup semolina flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour)

Directions:
Wash spinach and cover and cook with just the water that clings to leaves until tender (3-10 minutes). Rinse spinach with cold water; drain. Place spinach eggs, 1 tablesppon oil and 1 teaspoon of salt in blender container. Cover and blend until pureed, about 20 seconds.
Make a well in center of flour, add spinach mixture. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Let stand 10 minutes. Divide dough into halves. Roll out each half, cut strips. Cook in boiling water until tender.

HOMEMADE WHOLE WHEAT NOODLES

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C semolina flour
1 1/2 c freshly ground whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/4 c water
1/4 c olive oil

Directions:
Combine semolina and flour and salt. Beat eggs lightly. Mix eggs, water and oil. Stir in to four mixture until a stiff dough forms,. You may need to add a little more flour. Knead 10 minutes or until elastic. Let rest, covered for 20 minutes. Roll out thinly. Cut into desired shape or shape with machine. Cook in boiling, salted water for 2-5 minutes.

HOMEMADE MARINARA MEAT SAUCE

Ingredients
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (I used a bottle of garden tomatoes)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
OPTIONAL:
Add 1 lb of ground beef or ground turkey (can use canned beef)
Add 1/2 zucchini cut into small chunks

Directions:
In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce, and optional meat and veggies. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Try these recipes out and let me know how they go. Don’t be afraid of substituting the noodles in your own favorite lasagna recipe. They really are great, and aren’t nearly as hard as they sound! Good luck

It’s been awhile since we have shared with you what’s going on with the Extreme Food Storage Makeover for Grandma Lori. Since Grandma Lori bought her Wondermill, Jasmine has been wanting in on the experimenting (Jasmine is Grandma Lori’s daughter and she’s the one who showed us how to make multi-grain waffles with their Wondermill). With the 7 Day Challenge coming up, you better believe one of the tasks throughout the week will be to make a loaf of bread, so pay close attention!

There are a lot of great bread recipes we could choose from to get Jasmine going on her bread making. The one we had Jasmine try first comes from Deals to Meals. You do this thing called “sponging” to the dough, and it makes an incredible dough that makes bread awesome! For the full recipe go here. Check out the recipe, and while you’re there, read Friday’s post. They are letting everyone try their service FREE this week only! After you try and like it, make sure you tell them we sent you.

Another great bread recipe is from Crystal at Everyday Food Storage. This is the recipe Julie used to get her first successful loaf of bread when she first started making bread. Crystal also shares some great bread making tips in case you need some extra help or practice on her Bread Q and A post.

Next up we’re going to show Grandma Lori and Jasmine how to make something else fabulous USING their food storage. We still haven’t decided what it is yet. Maybe we’ll let THEM choose.

This week, we’re extending the Extreme Food Storage Makeover to Grandma Lori’s daughter Jasmine! She is Jodi’s little sister, and Julie’s sister-in-law. Jasmine has always been into cooking. She has made her own little recipe book and everything. When she kept hearing her big sisters talk about how whole grains are healthier, she wanted to learn about it… Since the Wondermills are on sale for the summer, Grandma Lori took advantage and bought one so now we get to share some fun recipes with the family.

If you’re new to this project, visit our Grandma Lori Makeover Page for the full scoop, and see the journey as it has progressed so far.

Watch the video as Julie shows Jasmine how to grind wheat, and other grains to make Jasmines regular waffle recipe, a delicious multi-grain version. Jasmine might even have a future on the Food Network – who knows? Oh and please excuse the guest appearance from SPIDERMAN himself. Yes it’s last years Halloween outfit he has worn daily since -luckily he didn’t shoot webs into our food.

Here is the Recipe Jasmine used. The ingredients in the brackets are halved, so she can make small batches for herself and her friends.

Waffles
1 ¾ c. flour (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. baking powder (1/2 tbsp.)
½ tsp. salt (1/4 tsp.)
2 c. milk (1 cup)
1/3 c. oil (2 ½ tbsp.) -replace with unsweetened applesauce for low-fat option
2 eggs ( 1 egg)
Mix all ingredients with electric mixer. Pour batter into waffle maker and cook until done.

Stay tuned as we keep showing our family some fun recipes using their food storage!

My favorite recipe I’ve made since venturing into cooking with Food Storage is an Enchilada Pie recipe. I told you all about it back in my cooking challenge post.

Since then, I’ve added another twist on the recipe. I realized I was out of enchilada sauce MID RECIPE a few weeks ago. I had gotten far enough that there was no turning back, but I DID not want to run to the store. Does that EVER happen to any of you? I somehow got confused about how much enchilada sauce I had stored (My husband forgets to tell me we’re down to 2 or 3 left when I get him to get one out of the basement for me).

Anyways, I found this recipe on allrecipes, and to my amazement it turned out great, and used ingredients I always have on hand. Now I wont need to bother buying Enchilada Sauce.

Ten Minute Enchilada Sauce
(anything with the title “ten minutes” in it, is my kind of thing)

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons self-rising flour (I used regular)
1/4 cup New Mexico or California chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
salt to taste

Directions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

So go ahead, give yourself a challenge! Try this out with the NEW twist!