Lamentations 3:1-18 reads exactly, word for word as I Imagine my sister’s frame of mind to be as she wanders the destruction and captivity of our generation, or at least it is how I feel for her. But,

Other than the basic soaked oatmeal recipe, there are a few other ways to make this nourishing food.

My 2 year old likes it best as “Fried Mush” (we tell her it is a pancake). Make extra soaked oatmeal one morning and save the left-overs in the fridge. I almost think kids will eat anything if you come up with a cool enough name. The next morning, whisk an egg (or two if you have a whole batch or a lot left over) to make a batter. Saute batter by the spoonful in butter or coconut oil. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Based off a baked oatmeal recipe I found at Urban Homemaker (thank you Jenny!), I modified it according to Sally Fallon’s instructions for soaking. It turned out GREAT! We ate it up for dinner and then snacked on it cold later in the day as “oatmeal bars”.

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups filtered water
1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1 egg
3 Tbls. melted butter
1/3 cup Rapadura (or brown sugar)
1 1/2 teas. non-aluminum baking powder
1 teas. cinnamon
3/4 teas sea salt

The night before, mix oats, water and yogurt in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and set out at room temperature overnight (at least 7 hours). In the morning, grease a 9×11 casserole dish with butter. Wisk egg, butter and sugar together in a seperate bowl. Stir baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into the oats. Add egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour into casserole disha nd bake at 350 for 35 minutes, until set and the top is lightly browned. Serve with just a bit of honey, as the sugar in the dish already makes it pretty sweet. Optional - add diced fresh apple to the batter just before baking.

Guess what! “They” have found out that everyone who eats beef dies! ahhh! We must all stop eating beef RIGHT NOW! In fact, further studies have proven that everyone who eats food dies! STOP eating RIGHT NOW!

This is sometimes how I feel when I read Dr. Mercola’s website. Of course, all the things that he is selling are miracles but . . .. No one is immune to some degree of bias and corruption eh? Nutrition research has changed its tune quite a bit in the last decade and why do I have a feeling it will continue to do so?

Bathing with lil’ babe in a warm tub of almond oil and lavender, vanilla, rose and chamomille essential oils I pondered the state religion of America. More than anything it seems to “scientology”. Scientific method is our scriptures, the scientists our priests, the halls of accademia and research labs our temples and some idea of a perfect body of knowledge and world comprehension out there is our God.

Please don’t hear me as anti-science. It surely has its place and does provide us with much wonderful and useful knowledge. But science for Americans has seemed to replace common sense, principle and wisdom. We aren’t going to believe that it isn’t good to eat too much honey (let alone sugar) until science prooves it. Forget that Solomon told us millennia ago.

Unfortunately science is not sufficient to give us all the answers to life. Humans are too complex as well as irriducible to experimental factors. The body is so, so complex. I am very skeptical that many chemicals will ever be “proven” toxic because too many factors are involved to run sufficient experiments. You just can’t put 100 people in a bubble for 40 years to test parabens on them. (And Lord please keep us from so worshiping science that we want to go there for knowledge’s sake!)

In short, this is why I like Jordan Rubin’s book, “The Maker’s Diet”. He seeks to draw from God’s Word to get some nutritional, common sense, time-proven principles toward nutrition and then discovers that the best science can offer in the field of nutrition supports what he sees in the scriptures.

No, the Bible was not written to be a handbook to nutrition, and we have to be careful how we approach this or we may end up eating only locusts and honey if we really want to be spiritual . . . or is that a prescription for beheading? However, God must have given the Levitical dietary laws for some reason. He didn’t tell them to eat ding-dongs and diet coke so he could laugh as they all died of malnutrition. So why did He give the instructions He did give? Rubin seeks to address that.

I did like this book. I do recommend it. Here is the short and dirty on its strengths and weaknesses. He does a tollerable job, though he really isn’t a Bible scholar.
Strenghts - Rubin’s personal story of healing is amazing. I am thrilled to see Christians redeeming the area of nutrition. God made our bodies and food. Christians ought to be at the forefront of this exciting study! This book reads very easily and makes a good recommendation for those who either get overwhelmed by more technical, scientific nutritional information or for those who don’t have the time or interest to get deeper. The book is well refrenced, reliable (in my opinion) and full of good information, but on a fairly basic level.
Negative - There is a bit too much hype and marketing for my tastes, but that is what sells, so I can put up with it. I still don’t really understand why pork is bad. I think God just included that one so He could tell Peter to go and eat it later. We live on this side of Peter. . . .  Most of his recipes are from Nourishing Traditions so if you want a cookbook, skip Rubin and buy that.

If I don’t post this as it is right now, it will never get posted . . . so if you want to know more about the book, ask in the comments! It is one you can buy, read, take some notes and then pass on.

Someone put a great list of whole foods nutrition and cook books together over at amazon.

Now I have so many books I need to buy . . . Think any of these are at the library? I am going to have to quit being such a lazy and go!

In the comments, Annie C wrote;

“I soaked and dried almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds over the week-end. The only problem was that I had to use the oven due to the fact that we do not have a dehydrator. Anyway, I know the temp is not supposed to be more than 150 degrees, yet my oven’s lowest temp is 170! (They turned out okay anyway – just left the door ajar.) Long story short, I’d like to get a dehydrator and don’t know where to start. Any advice?”

My oven won’t go below 170 either, so I have done the door thing too, and things have dried nicely, though probably with greater enzyme damage. Since we have a gas stove and gas is so expensive right now, I hate to leave it on for the length of time that dehydrating takes. I think that a dehydrator will alone pay for itself in that respect.

We were fortunate to have the very kind Winn’s (of the bht) give us this one;

which is the best way to get one! If money is an issue, or you aren’t sure how committed you are to dehydrating I suggest just buying an inexpensive basic one and see how it goes. I have this one and it works fine for now. Disadvantages include cheaper made trays ( I ripped an herb screen already), bottom heat source which doesn’t heat all trays evenly so you have to rotate the them, and no dial on it to set the temperature. Further the round shape makes it harder to do Audrey’s sprouted buckwheat crackers. I did test the crackers and granolas I made and they were heated to only 115-120 degrees, which is good enough for almost every use you could have.

If you want to go the inexpensive, trial route, you could look at Craig’s List, ebay and garage sales for one and just try something for which the price is right.

Serene Allison, Above Rubies raw foodist enthusiastic, says this about dehydrators;

“The only dehydrator I recommend is the Excalibur, which has a thermostat control so you can personally set the temperature. This way you can keep the heat as low as necessary. I like to deyhdrate between 95-105 degrees. [Many] dehydrators with a fixed temperature are set around 160 degrees, which is cooking your food. You might as well stick it in your oven.

A dehydrator is a purchase you will never regret. In my opinion, a dehydrator is a more necessary purchase in the beginning than any other appliance, bar a juicer, which should be first. My dehydrator runs all the time with something delicious and exciting waiting to be tried.

When the Ronco pitters our or I get tired of rotating trays and funny shaped crackers I will probably buy the 9-tray Excalibur. I am fully committed to dehydrating and plan on drying in volumes. I love dehydrating. It is my new hobby. I actually think I came up with a pretty good sprouted buckwheat granola recipe (inspired by Serene’s) that I might try selling . . . But if you don’t have a large family or don’t plan to do tons of drying, there is a less expensive 4 tray model. I will provide links below. But again, to get started, you can’t beat something you find for $20 or free (Phillip, you can’t have it back. Its too late! :-))

Hope this helps!

Be sure to catch the great discussion on schooling over at Choosing Home Blog.

Here are some of Molly’s comments I found most helpful (yes, these are just a few of the comments!):

We’re personally not opposed to the idea of “school.” Heck, Little House on the Prairie days type of school was amazingly effective, amazingly short (in yearly duration) and amazingly beneficial. Not that I think the past was perfect, mind you, but the educational philosophy behind “school” was assuredly MUCH MUCH MUCH different than the philosophy behind “school” today. (Reading John Gatto’s “Underground History of American Education” will never let you look at our modern day system the same way again)… Even though many private schools are private, much of them still operate under that same philosophy, only changing a few words here and there to make it “Christian.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Andrea asked in the comments for tips on spring cleaning, so I will share my POA. (For non-essayists out there, “Plan of Attack”)

1 - Invite someone to come stay at your house over the weekend or for a Sat. evening/Sun. afternoon dinner. This will get you motivated and keep your momentum going. It is worth it to plan spring cleaning ahead if you have perhaps inlaws coming for Easter. Plan to clean the week before.

2 - Take an entire week. Clear out the schedule, keep dinners really, really easy (frozen pizza won’t kill you with one feeding!).

3 - Divide your house into parts. Make 6 columns, one for each day of cleaning (7 is sabbath rest!). Start with one corner of your house and think of covering every square foot and inch in the course of a week. My house is fairly new and clean anyway, so I will only be taking 4 days this week. (Our company is coming friday). If your house is very disheveled and you are so inspired, take two weeks - one to organize and one to clean. It’s worth it. You’ll feel so much better!

4 - These will be long days. Prepare in advance for little treats to keep you going. Buy a stash of your favorite drinks and goodies as treats to take work breaks with. I bought Grape Kombucha (yummy! That is the flavor to get!) and chocolate covered raisins. Reward yourself each night for getting the tasks done. I bought some special essential bath oils to soak in the tub with and soothe my tired body. Tell your husband in advance, ask him to encourage and praise you. Prep your children and offer them a daily incentive if needed to help or put up with you.

5 - A tip on organizing - I live as though we could move any month. This helps everything have a place and container as well as remind me that I am but a traveler here on this Earth. I am on the move, my home is in heaven, these things I shall not keep. If I haven’t used it in a year, its out o the house! (taking obvious exceptions like a photoalbum or wedding dress, of course.)

6 - Play favorite music to keep things fun and attitudes positive. Dance and sing as you go. Make cleaning into a game as much as possible for little ones. Set up new play zones away from the area you are working on that day.
7 - Celebrate what you accomplished! Take before and after photos for your blog or for the scrapbook.

8 - Think of preparing for tomorrow’s tasks and getting ahead. If you don’t finish the day’s tasks, leave them for next year/month. Keep going. Houses get cluttered when we are always a step behind. Use this week to transition to being a step ahead. Do the most important things first and leave the least important undone if you have to. Try to get tasks done in the first half of the day, leaving time and energy for what the day may throw at you unplanned!
Bottom to top - Think of every surface. For example, in a living room you have carpets, then floor boards, walls with wall decor, and celeing fans. Then you have furniture sides and tops and dusting any decor on top of furniture.

My schedule:

• Day 1 - Laundry Room - this is in the bottom corner of my house and Monday is laundry day, so this makes a good start. Wash EVERYTHING in the house (drapes, sheets, matress covers, blankets, all clothes, anything that can go in and hasn’t been recently - also take anything to cleaners as needed) fold, put away, iron and clean laundry room bottom to top (clean shelves, organize cleaners and other items stored there, sweep and mop floor, and wipe down washer and dryer)
• Day 2 - Periodic tasks (clean all fans, run through house with paint brush and can of touch-up paint, windows on the outside) and kitchen bottom to top (clean and organize cupboars, clear counters, clean out freezer and fridge, organize art/school cupboards, stuff drawer).
• Day 3 - Living room, office, entry (inside and out) from bottom to top, and downstairs closet (re-organize, vacuum).
• Day 4 - Upstairs: bedrooms bottom to top, organize closets, bathrooms top to bottom.
• Day 5 - My guests are coming so I will prepare the meal, fancy up the dining room (i.e. my kitchen!) perhaps tidy the yard and put out guest preparations - special touches in guest room like fresh flowers, folded towels nicely placed with a ribbon, etc. . .

Hope this helps and inspires! I’ll keep you posted on how it goes! For low-toxicity cleaner recipes see the side bar for category link.