Crock Pot Oatmeal

I know I've mentioned that I've been on an oatmeal kick lately.  It's either scrambled eggs or oatmeal for breakfast.  I used to be a cold cereal girl, and while I do sometimes still indulge in a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares if I'm in a hurry or feeling lazy, I've been trying to eat less prepared/processed foods.
Also, when I was trying to nurse Phoebe I found out that oatmeal is supposedly one of those "super" foods for breastfeeding mamas, so bring on the oatmeal!!!
I had been making oatmeal every 2 or 3 days- just from bulk organic oats I get at the Farmer's Market.  A touch of 100% organic maple syrup and I'm good to go.
But this crock pot oatmeal has changed my life.  Ok, maybe not changed my life, but it is pretty amazing.  I originally got the recipe from Lauren.  And because she's such a great photographer, her pictures look a lot more appetizing than mine...
The other thing that is amazing about it is that you can cook it in the crock pot overnight** and it is ready to go in the morning!  It does make a lot, but I keep mine in the fridge and eat off of it all week and it has still tasted good even at the end of the week!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups steel cut oats (not instant)
5 apples, cut into cubes
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbs. cinnamon
2 tbs. butter
Pinch of salt
3 cups milk
1 1/4 cups water

Directions:
Put the apples in the crock pot (so they cover the bottom), pour in the oats. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Pour the milk and water over everything. Do not stir. Put the lid on your crock pot and set it to high heat for 5 hours*. When ready to eat, pour a little maple syrup over it (although it is really pretty sweet already...)
 Serve warm and enjoy!

**I cooked mine on low overnight because I wake up hungry for breakfast in the morning and don't have 5 hours.  I will say that every time I have made it, I have burned a little bit of the oatmeal around part (not the whole) edge of the crock pot.  I sprayed my pot really well so it was easy to clean, but I did throw some burned areas away.  But it was worth it for me.

When you don't feel like cooking...

When you don't feel like cooking sometimes a healthy dinner salad is an easy and quick alternative for a healthy weeknight meal.  I admit with Chris being out of town so much over the last couple months with staff training and classes and with all the travel we did for the holidays I have gotten out of the habit of cooking dinners for us.  Quite frankly I haven't felt like cooking much at all this past month.  I have made food for us,  (I know I have because we have not starved...) but nothing fancy and nothing involving much of a recipe.  I need to get back into the swing of things.  I think its a lot like exercising- once you get out of the habit it is hard to motivate yourself to hit the gym or the trails, but once you make yourself and get started it gets easier...  We don't eat out much and over the past 3 weeks I can only think of 4 dinners where we've eaten out or ordered in, but that is a lot for us.   Feeling lazy again last night but still wanting to eat healthy, I had just planned a simple salad.  I baked some salmon with a little butter (you absolutely could and probably should use olive oil, I was just in a butter mood for some reason) and Magic Salmon seasoning.  (This is my favorite way to season and cook salmon for an easy meal.  Its very flavorful.)

I prepared my bed of greens with grape tomatoes, avocado, and walnuts and topped it with the baked salmon.  Because pineapples were $1.99 each at Kroger we had some pineapple on the side.  Although I did have homemade bread as well (not baked recently- remember I'm feeling lazy?  I had baked a bunch of loafs and froze them several weeks ago right when we got home from Christmas.) neither of us were in a bread mood.  

I have been experimenting with more homemade salad dressings in attempt to move away from the processed dressings at the grocery store that are filled with high fructose corn syrup and sugar.  To be honest I haven't been very successful, but I did really like the lemon vinaigrette I made to go over this salad.  (Thanks Julie!) Don't ask me for the measurements- I have no idea.  But I used: Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce (this stuff is amazing and is the only mustard you will ever need) Fresh squeezed lemon juice Olive Oil Pepper A little honey Today I'm linking up with Kristine for #whatsonyoursalad.  She has a lot of great salad (and fitness) ideas and recipes, so be sure to hop on over to her blog!

high five for friday

1. I have sworn my whole adult life that I would never own a mini-van.  EVER.  For the last four years Chris has told me I would change my mind, and I swore up and down that he was wrong.  I would not give in.  We've talked about Subaru Outbacks, Honda Pilots- basically larger SUVs as my next "family" car.  Well I'm eating my words now.  For the first time this week I admited that I see the value and practicality of a mini-van.
Here's the conversation that changed my mind: a friend was talking about the hassle of finding a place to park their large suburban so that she could have enough space to open both back doors to get kids in and out of car seats.  She talked about with a mini-van you can park anywhere and you don't have large doors that swing out.  The automatic door close feature is pretty sweet too.  Is it weird that I'm using the word sweet to describe a mini-van?
We don't need one now, but in a couple years when we're thinking about kid #3, having the extra seats for all the kids and their friends will be a plus.  So I introduce to you my new dream car: Honda Odyssey- with a sun roof.

2.  I am not a fan of guns.  But I married a man who had two.  So now by default I am a gun owner.  I don't particularly like that fact, but it is what it is.  Now with a little one running around the house and opening drawers we have been talking about a way to "lock" up the gun yet still have it accessible in the event of an emergency.  Read between the lines: I told Chris he needed to ask for a small gun safe for Christmas.  My parents drove down last week and brought back all our Christmas presents since we couldn't fly home with them very easily.  So this week Chris and I have been working to gun-safe our home.  Although this isn't the exact model that we have...it is pretty close.  It is basically a small safe that can fit in a drawer with an electronic lock.

So again I'm not a fan of guns, but if some creep decides he wants to make my home a target- Mama Bear will not hesitate to open that drawer and protect her babies.  And yes, I do know how to use it...

3.  I decided this week that I like oatmeal if it has enough maple syrup on it.  I'm trying to cut down on the processed cereal I eat.  One because it is processed and two because it is a bit on the expensive side.  Oatmeal is a healthy and CHEAP alternative.  (I buy organic oats from the DeKalb Farmers Market for next to nothing.  Seriously that 1/2 gallon jar costs less than $2)  When I was having trouble with my milk supply and having trouble nursing Phoebe after she was born I tried EVERY trick in the book to increase my milk supply.  Eating oatmeal was one of them.  I hated it, but with enough brown sugar (which completely negated any health benefit) I could stomach it.  Maple syrup is a natural sweetener, which makes it a much better option than brown sugar.  And it is pretty good on oatmeal too :)

4.  I am LOVING this new shelf/coat rack that my Dad made for us and put up last weekend.  The highlight of my week just might be hanging my coat and purse on it when we get home.  (More on the shelf next week...)

5. Today marks day #1 of the RUF Wives Retreat.  I love this weekend!  Basically all the RUF wives leave the kids at home with the husband (ok some women do bring nursing babies, but not me) for the weekend and head to Atlanta.  It is a great time to connect with other wives who "get" what it means to be married to college minister and can completely relate to both the joys and struggles.  It is always filled with great teaching, great fellowship, and great fun.  This year the main speaker is Paige Benton Brown.  If you are familiar with reformed PCA circles you have probably heard of her.  We refer her article Singled out for God to college and post-college single girls quite often.  It was written over 10 years ago, but it really is a great article about singleness and Christianity if you are interested.

Have a great weekend!

Linking up with Lauren 

Kefir

Last week I mentioned my new found love of Mason jars and that I store my kefir in a mason jar.  Well this prompted the question: "what is kefir?"  The short answer is kefir is a pro-biotic.  It is a fermented milk product that is similar to yogurt.  You can find commercial kefir smoothies next to the yogurt at the grocery store.  Kefir uses a different type of culture to ferment the milk than yogurt does.  Yogurt uses only bacteria (primarily lactobacillus) while kefir uses bacteria and yeast.   You are probably familiar with the texture of yogurt, whereas kefir is more of a thick liquid vs. the gel-like consistency of yogurt.
There are many health benefits of probiotics including kefir.  To read more about the health benefits of milk kefir, click here.
You can purchase commercial kefir smoothies, but they are not cheap.  Making your own kefir is cheap and easy- especially if someone gives you the kefir grains to start with.  (If you are in the Atlanta area and want some I would be happy to share.)  You could also purchase a kefir culture starter.
I received my kefir grains from a friend.  Here are what the grains look like.

I make milk kefir with raw milk, but you could also use pasteurized milk or make water kefir.
The process is simple.  Place your grains in a mason jar and cover with milk.  I cover my jar with a coffee filter and rubber band to allow it to "breath" (ferment would be the technical term) and allow the CO2 gas to escape.  

I culture mine every 24 hours (every evening), which means that every evening I strain (using a nylon strainer) the kefir into a second mason jar that is stored in the fridge.  You could culture it longer, but the longer you leave it the more sour the taste.

Kefir does have a bit more of a sour taste than yogurt.  Although I'm sure some people drink it straight, I find that gross.  I mainly use my kefir to make smoothies although I do soak some of my grains with a little bit of kefir as well.  
Kefir Smoothies: 1/2 cup kefir 1/2 cup frozen berries 1/2 banana 1 Tbls coconut oil (must be melted)

I love my magic bullet

Toss everything into a blender and enjoy!!
I admit that kefir is a pretty new endeavor here in the Team Bowen household.  I've just been doing it for a few months.  If you make kefir as well, I would love to hear from you and hear about any ways you use your kefir!
 
 

Mason Jars

I have been mildly obsessed with mason jars lately.  

No, I do not do any canning or pickling.  (Although I would if I ever could grow a successful garden.)  I simply like to use them for storage.  I've started buying a lot of my nuts and seeds in bulk at the DeKalb Farmer's Market, which is a great cost-effective option.  However, you bring them home in these little tie-top bags that are not great for long-term storage or keeping things fresh.  Well pop those nuts, oatmeal, flour etc. into a mason jar with a and your pantry look more organized and you won't be digging through baggies to find what you are looking for.  It is fabulous.

I also store my kefir in a mason jar in the fridge and sucant and real salt in a mason jar, which we buy in bulk with several other families.

I had never really used mason jars for much of anything before this past summer.  My in-laws were in the process of cleaning out Chris' great-grandmother's house in order to settle the estate.  Apparently she (as well as the most recent resident) was a bit of a pack-rat.  In addition to years and years of old newspapers, she had tons (and I mean tons) of old mason jars.   I took several with the thought that I could use them for flowers or other decorations/centerpieces for showers/parties etc.  Well I soon found more practical storage uses for them around the house and was going back for more! In addition to food storage, I have used them for flower arrangements.  Oh, and I love the idea of putting fresh cranberries in your flowers as a festive way to add color to the vase.

Last fall at one of the artist markets at the outdoor farmer's market I saw Mason jar soap pumps that I loved!  I had been wanting a new soap pump for our powder room to replace the .99 disposable one that we have been re-filling for years and immediately knew that was what I wanted.  My handy-dandy (and apparently crafty) husband refused to pay for one but agreed to make one for me.  Fabulous, another use for our growing mason jar collection.  I would have needed pinterest or some DIY blog to give me the step by step instruction, but it was actually pretty simple and Chris figured out how to make them on his own.

The first several turned out great!  I have one in our powder room, one housing my dish soap by the kitchen sink, and one that will be filled up with soap in our bathroom shortly.

Since then we've (yes, this is so simple that even I can make them) made several as gifts.  I happen to like the plain and simple mason jar look, but there are plenty of ways to dress up your mason jar soap dispenser if you are looking for some flair.
And my new favorite idea for mason jars comes from Lauren at Choosing Joy.  She posted last week about a DIY Anthropologie Winter Snow Globe that is AMAZING!  Seriously, I am so excited to go try this one out!  They are adorable...AND its in a mason jar!!!
What other great uses have you found for mason jars?

Ten on Ten: A busy Saturday

I have been wanting to linkup with Rebekah at a bit of sunshine for ten on ten.  In fact, I should have listed this as one of my monthly goals, but didn't think about it at the time.  She started this linky party as a way for bloggers to "share a snapshot of their lives...once a month on the tenth [by] taking a photo an hour for ten consecutive hours. Finding life and beauty in the ordinary things of our day to day!"  

While I don't know how great of a job I did finding beauty in the ordinary things, here are ten snapshots of our lives from Saturday.  I actually tried to do this on Friday, but didn't end up with 10 photos.  So the pressure was on for Saturday.  I'm going to work on my photo taking skills for next month...

Without further ado- 

It is hard to see, but the clock says 6:29AM- on a Saturday morning!  Yes, and believe it or not at this point I had been up for 45 minutes.  It should be a sin to be up this early on a weekend.  But anyhow, at this point the car is packed and we are ready to head to Chattanooga for the day.  I took this picture right before I woke up the baby to put her in the car.

Early morning car trips = a trip through Chick-fil-A drive-through.  Chicken biscuits.  Yummy.

We had Knox in the car with us, so we had to stop at Chris' parents house to drop him off before going onto my niece's birthday party.  Phoebe got a to have a quick break from the car to "wee...."

Caylee's birthday party was at Chuck E Cheese's.  It started at 9am, hence the early morning start.  (Chris didn't get back home till 8pm Friday night so we couldn't drive down there Friday evening.)

Princess cupcakes!  The birthday girl got hers before I got my picture.  Hey, it was her birthday...

After the party Phoebe and the birthday girl played outside because it was 70 degrees IN DECEMBER.

Trying to juggle work schedules and out-of-town family Christmas' can sometimes be a challenge.  We are spending Christmas at my parents house this year.  So we celebrated Christmas with Chris' family on Saturday.  Phoebe is playing with her new bowling set.  She doesn't quite get the concept of rolling the ball into the pins.  She prefers to knock them all down by hand...

After nap time we got pictures of all the cousins in their Christmas attire.

This is the first family picture we've ever taken with Knox.

I've mentioned before that we get our milk and eggs from a local farm.  Well after we got back into town Saturday evening, I went to pick up our milk and eggs.  And that completes our ten pictures for the day.

I hope you had a fun weekend!

I'm also linking up with Molly and Carly for YOLO Mondays.

Old School Bread

So back in the day before there was a Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Ingles, (insert grocery store of your choice) every couple miles, people actually had to make their own food and get their ingredients from local farmers or their own gardens.  There is certainly a convenience factor of the quick freezer meal, processed snack, store-bought bread, and being able to pick up your produce (picked "fresh" and flown in from Costa Rica) at your one stop grocery store, but I assure you that that convenience comes with a cost.    I certainly shop at Walmart and the Kroger down the street- A LOT.  But since my daughter was born (funny how kids can facilitate such changes...), we've been trying to take baby steps to eat real food and live a more sustainable lifestyle.  (Of course as I am writing this I most certainly just consumed an obscene amount of ice cream that I don't think even pregnency justifies.  And I am kind-of craving these Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Candy Bars.  Oh well.  I'm trying....)  During the summer months I try to get as much of my produce as I can from local farmers at the Farmer's Market (my garden was a massive failure this year...), we purchase our milk from a local farmer , and what I'm most excited about right now is that I've started milling my own flour to make bread. The health benefits of milling your own flour are tremendous!  A lot of vital nutrients are lost in the oxidation process within 24 hours of milling or "cracking" open the wheat kernel.  And a lot of the "good stuff" from the wheat is extracted now from processed bread in order to extend its shelf-life.  But I won't bore you with all those details now.  If you are truly interested you can read more about it on the Bread Beckers website or request this free cd.
I have been interested in milling flour to make our own bread for several months now, but just like any new project it requires some equipment- namely a mill.  I had been talking to a couple friends who were also interested in this "old school" type of bread making so we scoured Craig's list and were able to purchase a used mill.  There are a few different models, but we choose to go with the WonderMill.  So it is my new favorite toy in the kitchen.

You purchase your wheat in bulk to mill into flour.  Before the wheat is milled it can be stored indefinitely.  Mine stays in a bucket with a gamma lid on the floor of my kitchen.

Here's what the wheat looks like before it is milled.  Basically it looks like wheat off the stalk from the wheat field.

 

And after you mill the flour, (which takes less than a minute in the WonderMill), it comes out as wheat flour that is ready to be made into bread.

Next I knead together all the ingredients: water, honey, olive oil, salt, flour, yeast, gluten, and rice bran extract.

I just use my dough hook attachment with my Kitchen Aid mixer to "knead" the dough.  And then let it rise...

And after you bake your bread not only does your house smell amazing, but you pull these beauties out of the oven.

This is pretty much the only bread we eat now.  We use it for sandwiches, toast, side dish with pasta...

Bread Beckers has a great recipe book  that has recipes for various types of bread, rolls, waffles, cinnamon rolls, muffins, pie crusts, cookies- just about anything that uses flour :)

I've made dinner rolls, pizza crust, and cinnamon rolls- with hard red wheat that I milled into flour.  It was all good.  I want to try some muffins and maybe waffles soon.  I also used the mill to mill corn into cornmeal to make homemade cornbread.  (Chris told me he liked Jiffy better, so I still need to work on my cornbread recipe...)

So the WonderMill is my new toy that I am enjoying.  Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget right now?  Is there something you've been thinking about trying out for awhile now, but just haven't gotten around to it?