Sprouting Grains

Ever since my hubby spoiled me with a The Sausage Maker stainless steel food dehydrator and NurtriMill L`Equip grain mill, my life hasn't been the same.  

One of the staples in our home is sprouted grains which creates sprouted flour which creates a lot of yummy foods.

I have no desire to go gluten free.  Or grain free.  Do I have a gluten sensitivity?  Yes, a small one.  Stomach bloat after I eat to much white flour products...check.  But I am also a believer that we need a TON more fruits and vegetables in our diets, which create those little enzymes that help break down gluten and allows our bodies to process and digest food like they should.  And that from the years of crap that we have all eaten our bodies are simply tired.  Tired of trying to process crap.  So, inturn we have damaged our bodies, thus creating gluten intolerances and sensitivities.

Now, ask me why kids are having gluten sensitivities and intolerances at such YOUNG ages.  And I do not have a scientific answer for you......yet.  I have my own opinion about this.  But is not post worthy yet, without some hours of research and interviews invested first .  ;-)  

So, I have chosen a middle ground for myself and my family.  And here it is.....

When I eat out I use doTERRA's TerraZyme.  TerraZyme is digestive enzyme complex, click here to learn more about TerraZyme.  And I sprout my grains and grind my own flour, the majority of the time I am cooking and baking.  I do buy Organic King Arthur All-purpose flour to keep on hand, (which of course I soak before using it to bake.  and I highly recommend the ebook Is You Flour Wet?,  it is FREE now!).  And I am currently using their flour to make sourdough starter.  And of course I am always attempting new recipes with coconut flour and almond flour, just because it is a fun challenge to make dishes with these ingredients that taste good.  And I am thrilled that I am finding more and more dishes that we consider good.

I do believe that I need to make our grains the healthiest possible.  Thus, I sprout.

Sprouting is like a science project in your kitchen.  It is so easy.  Anyone can do this.  And if you don't have a food dehydrator, you can use your oven at it's lowest temperature to dry your sprouted grains.

Personally speaking, everyone needs a grain mill (who eat grains, that it.  if you can go 100% grain free, my hat is off to you).  They make great Christmas or birthday presents. ;-)  Even the good, unbleached, organic flour that we buy in the stores, has most likely been sitting in that bag forever.  Which means by the time we buy it and take it home most of the vitamins and nutrients are gone.  Which is utterly depressing.  Once again, we are eating more dead food.  I believe that if companies started to store this flour in freezers, some of the vitamins and nutrients would be preserved.  But....that hasn't happened yet.

So, on to sprouting.  Here are the basics to getting started.

Sprouting 101
Pour your whole grains (organic hard red wheat or organic soft white wheat*) into multiple quart or 1/2 gallon wide mouth canning jars, filling them 1/3 full (trust me, don't overfill...the grains swell ALOT and they won't sprout if they don't have room for air to circulate inside the glass jar) and cover the grains with reverse osmosis water.  Make sure you use pure, clean water here (I don't know if fluoride filled water will allow the grains to sprout or not).  Cut a piece of cheesecloth and place over the top of the jar and use the ring to keep the cheesecloth in place or purchase these lids from Amazon, I love mine.  Just make sure you are buying the sprouting lids with the tiny holes.  Some of the 3 packs have holes that the grains will fall through.  Let jars sit upright overnight on your counter with the water soaking the grains.  

In the morning, leave the sprouting lid or the cheese cloth on the glass jar and turn the glass jars upside down, draining the water off of the grains, remove the spouting lids (or leave the cheesecloth on) and fill again with clean water, covering the grains and turn upside down and gently shake the jars and pour off water (use a turning motion of the jars while draining off the water, this ensures that the grains are all getting rinsed as you pour off the water).  While holding the jars at an angle,shake the jars to get the excess water out.  Place all 4 quart jars in a tub or some sort of a container at an angle so the water continues to drain off of the grains.  See picture below. 

Ok, so you have the glass jars sitting at an angle.  Now you just have some small maintenance to do.  At different times today, rinse the grains with reverse osmosis water 2-3 different times before going to bed.  I am going to be honest here.  Some days mine get rinsed twice and that is it.  And they sprout just fine.  Each time you rinse the grains, shake and turn the jar to make sure all the grains are getting wet.  The grains cannot sprout without moisture.

You are going to do this for the next 2-3 days.  Keep watching, you will see sprouts sooner than you think!  Note:  Sprouting time may take 3-4 days, depending on temperature of your home, amount of grains you put in jar and number of times you rinsed the grains. 

When you start to see the grains sprout, it is time to dry!!

This is a batch from when I tried to make ezekiel bread, thus the beans and lentils.  I have some soft white wheat spouting now, I will take new pics of it and update here. 

In my opinion, these sprouts are to long for my grain mill.  Though, they are beautiful.  I will post new pictures later showing the correct sprout length you want. 

These are soft white wheat grains.  The sprouts are still a little longer than I prefer but better than the ones above. 

(Note:  DO NOT refill the jars with water and let them soak in the water for the 3-5 days.  You are rinsing the grains and letting the jars sit upside down at an angle with NO added water in the jars for the next 2-3 days.  Sitting them at an angle allows for air flow which will allow for the sprouting process.  I just let mine sit out on the counter top during the process.)

The goal is for the sprouts on the grains to be 1/2 the length of the grain.  

Note:  After 2 days of sprouting, hard red wheat berries become very sweet.  They are very tasty just raw.

After the grains have sprouted I place them on my dehydrator trays and dry at 150 degrees for 6 hours.  Don't overfill the trays or you will need to mix the grains up periodically while they are drying to ensure all of the grains are dry.

After the 6 hours, I leave the grains in the dehydrator (unplugged) or bring the trays out and let the trays of dried grains sit on the countertop for a couple of days.  This just ensures there is no moisture left in the grains.  Then I store the grains in 1/2 gallon glass ball jars that you can buy here (this price is crazy expensive, so I would ask around at your local hardware store and see if they carry them or if they can order them for you).  And I love these lids and I buy them on Amazon.  Then I label the glass jar what grains are inside and store them in my deep freeze until it is time to grind.

When you grind grains, you want the grains to be frozen.  That ensures that less vitamins and nutrients are lost in the grinding process.  The process of grinding heats up the grains when creating flour.  Thus, if you begin with frozen grains, it takes longer for the grain to heat up and kill off vitamins and nutrients.  Make sense?

Sprouted grains do not fall down into the shoot of grain mills like ordinary, unsprouted grains do.  So, I use a Pampered Chef citrus peeler to push the grains down into the shoot to grind.  It works perfectly.  (I know an awesome Pampered Chef consultant, if you are interested too.)  :-)

So, there you have it.  There is a lot to share but after you do it a couple of times it is so easy.

Make sure you save your cheesecloth squares for next time.  Use a safe and green dish soap and hand wash them and then lay them out to dry, until next use.

*These are the only 2 I have tried.  Don't try to sprout organic hulled barley, it doesn't sprout.  Trust me on this.  And pay attention to smell.  If you are starting to smell a strong, sharp odor from the grains before they have sprouted, they may not sprout.  This is what happened with the barley.  I just rinsed and rinsed them until I couldn't smell the sharp, sour odor any longer and then dried them.  I guess they could be called fermented organic hulled barley.  :-)  


Sprouting in a nutshell
-Organic red hard wheat (good for breads/pancakes)(i also make an all purpose with 1/2 hard red 1/2 hulled barley, I do not sprout the barley
-Organic soft white wheat (good for lighter pastries/baking)
-Glass Ball jars
-Reverse osmosis water
-Cheese cloth and canning rings or sprouting lids
-Dish pan
-Time

1.  Soak grains overnight, covered in water.
2.  Drain next morning.  Fill again with water to rinse.  Drain.  Place at an angle in dishpan.
3.  Rinse and drain grains 2-3 times per day.
4.  Keep looking for sprouts.
5.  When you see sprouts 1/2 the length of the grain then it is time to dehydrate.
6.  Dehydrate at 150 degrees for 6 hours.
7.  Leave grains sit in dehydrator for 2 days.
8.  Place sprouted grains in a large glass jar with lid and label.
9.  Store in freezer.
10.  Do not thaw grains before grinding.  Grind frozen.

Happy Sprouting!!

Sourdough

Sourdough.  Sourdough starter.  Sourdough bread.

For some reason sourdough mesmerizes me.  It stumps me.  It challenges me.  I am not yet obsessed.  But I would say I am close.  :-)

I tried sourdough a while back with freshly ground rye.  The starter looked and smelled wonderful, but the bread, was, well bleck.  So, I want to try this adventure again.

So......

Today is day 1 of trying this Sourdough adventure again.


Here is what I have...
1/2 cup reverse osmosis water, room temperature
1/2 cup Organic King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, room temperature
1 quart size glass jar
Mix. Let sit on counter. Cover with cheesecloth or kitchen towel.

Tomorrow, Day 2....Add to the quart glass jar
2 tbsp of reverse osmosis water
2 tbsp of Organic King Arthur All-Purpose Flour (both room temp). 
Stir. Cover.

Repeat for 4-6 days until sour, bubbly goodness appears. 

I will keep you posted. 

Why I Left Mary Kay.

This question was recently brought up by my two amazing "do" essential oil mentors, Dena and Val, and I thought the answer to be more than post worthy.

They both know that years ago I used to be an independent product consultant for Mary Kay.  I used to teach classes and most of my close friends and family used Mary Kay products from head to toe.  Dena and Val have recently asked me for info as to why I stopped using and selling Mary Kay.

Here is what I have to say about that.....

The book that changed my life is called "Green Babies, Sage Moms" written by Lynda Fassa (who believe it or not, I am friends with on FaceBook.  Crazy huh'?  She is an amazing woman.)  This is not a book just for someone who is pregnant, wants to be pregnant or even a mom.  This book is for anyone and everyone who wants an explanation of what is going on around us.  Lynda writes from her heart, sharing all that she has learned.  And it all makes sense.  From the foods we eat to the lotions and makeup we apply to our bodies every day.  This book discusses how candles and air fresheners are harming our kids and the real truth behind hair coloring and our favorite mani's and pedi's.  I highly recommend you buy and read this book.  Highly.

In Lynda's 2nd chapter, titled "Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep" I found information that rocked my world and I have never been the same.  Thank God, I have not been the same.  She referenced a 2004 British study in the Journal of Applied Toxicology that cited parabens as a "cause for concern."  As a former 7 year Pharmaceutical Representative, this, of course intrigued me.  So I headed to google to find this study and dissected it myself.  Here it is.

Basically what this study showed was 20 women, who had breast cancer, donated their surgically removed tumors to science.  And scientists found trace amounts of parabens inside all 20 tumors.  Scientists, then of course, concluded that there was a link between parabens and breast cancer.  Parabens are NOT a naturally occurring element in our body, so how did the women get the parabens inside their tumors??

And as most of you know, studies have linked products containing parabens to a variety of hormone disorders, including underdeveloped testes in infant boys, to quote Lynda Fassa.

"Over and over, parabens have been linked to cancer in lab animals."  "In lab tests on sunscreen that contained parabens, fish and frogs began to change sex, from male to female."  There are safe sunscreens to buy and make yourself.  But for the most part the sunscreens on the shelves are doing more damage than they are helping us.  Sick....I know.

To quote The Cancer Prevention Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group, "The cosmetic industry has been as reckless as the tobacco industry and the FDA has remained silent."

Common parabens to look for on your labels are...
-methylparaben
-propylparaben
-ethylparaben
-butylparaben

"About 99% of all consumer cosmetics contain one or more parabens, a group of powerful preservatives that extend a product's shelf life."

All of this makes me sick!  WHY in the heck (submit a different word there) are these chemicals still allowed in our body care and makeup products??????????????

Why are chemical ingredients banned in other countries that are allowed here in the U.S.????  WHAT IS GOING ON??????

I can't control the FDA.  Heck, I can't even control my own kids or my life, but I CAN inform YOU of what is going.  I can teach you what to LOOK for when you are at the store deciding on what product to put in your cart.  And if you can't get it at your local store, you have Amazon.

So, please start reading labels.  If you put it on you or you put it in you BE INFORMED about what is in it. Take responsibility for yourself.  No one else is going to do it for you.

It took me 3 days to muster up enough courage to go look at the ingredients in my Mary Kay products,after finding the study I referenced above.  When I did, I was shocked.  A few of the Mary Kay products had 4 different parabens in them, not just 1, but all 4 of the parabens used in 1 product!!!!!!  And all but 2 or 3 of them had at least 1 paraben in them.  So, obviously, I stopped selling Mary Kay.  I sent back what inventory I had left and was refunded at 60% of the value, if I remember correctly and, get this.....I was blacklisted.  Blacklisted=I would never be able to sign up and sell Mary Kay products again, for the rest of  my life.  To that I replied, that is fine...if you don't green your products up, why would I want to sell them anyway??  If I was selling something that could have been causing cancer in my family and friends than I was D.O.N.E.!  They Blacklist anyone who returns the products back to the company for partial reimbursement.

I then switched to Mineral Fusion for all of my makeup products, and I love them.  I buy them at Whole Foods, Earth Fare and Amazon.    

I make my own facial cleanser, my moisturizer, eye makeup remover and hair gel is organic virgin coconut oil that I buy here and I buy my shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion and hairspray from Whole Foods.  Whole Foods has a generic line called 365 and I pay $4.99 for a 32 oz fl oz bottle of their shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion.  

I buy the unscented shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion.  I put the body wash into a 16 oz glass bottle with a lotion type pump that I buy from here and then add my own "do" essential oils to make one FABULOUS concoction (click here to see that post)!!!!  If you have any questions about "do" message me or click here.  Their essential oils are the absolute best in my opinion.  And the only essentials oils I will use or recommend.

So.... that is why I quit selling Mary Kay products.

You can reference the Environmental Working Group to see how your body care products measure up.  It is a very cool website and they even have an app now.

Keep living green.  Make a step every day.  Even if it is a little one.

**Update May 2017.  I am currently using and loving LimeLight by Alcone.  Check it out here.... www.deblye.com 

I currently wrote this... What facial products do I currently use?

***Update:  A Mary Kay consultant contacted me January 2017 sharing that Mary Kay is removing parabens from quite a few of their products (see pics below for list).  That is wonderful!!!!  But please keep reading labels.  We should not be putting anything on our bodies that has aluminum in it.  Here are the pictures the Mary Kay consultant shared with me.  Thank you Sally for sharing.

******Update:  A beautiful lady by the name of Bella contacted me this week letting me know that Mary Kay has in fact created a new skin care line that doesn't use parabens!  Wonderful!  Launched in 2020!!  Thank you Bella for contacting me and letting me know.  I really appreciate it.

I am still going to leave this post up so everyone can see the lists of ingredients that we should be avoiding.  Take care everyone and God Bless!

Homemade Shower Gel (sorta)

I made shower gel the other day (sorta) and it was so simple I had to share. :-)  I say "sorta" because I didn't make the actual shower gel.  Whole Foods gets credit for that, I just jazzed it up a bit.  :-)

I went to Whole Foods and bought a big bottle of their unscented shower gel.  $4.99 for 32 fl oz.

This time was a trial run in my mind, so I only filled my 16 oz glass bottle 1/2 full with the 365 shower gel and then I added 15-20 drops of doTERRA Citrus Bliss essential oil blend and swirled it around to mix the oil with the shower gel.  I bought the 16 oz amber glass bottle and lotion type pump from here.

This made a FABULOUS, easy and inexpensive shower gel!!!  

Add a cute little waterproof label and cover the label in clear packaging tape (so the writing doesn't run in the shower).

(I am still in a testing time frame with the label.  I bought waterproof labels and used a black sharpie, which is supposed to be waterproof to make the label shown below.  The words on the label did not survive the shower.  So, that is why I suggest adding a piece of clear plastic packaging tape over the top of the handwritten label to see if that helps.  If not, the labels from my label maker are waterproof.  Not near as cute but will work.)

If you have any questions message me or click here.  The company that begins with "do" essential oils are the absolute best in my opinion!  I will NOT use or recommend any other brand.

I picked Citrus Bliss because it smells AWESOME and it brings peace and happiness to the mind and body and joy to the heart, promotes energy and is soothing .  I thought that would be a great way to start the day.  :-)


Happy Oiling!!

Happy Oiling!!

Saturday Morning Sourdough French Toast

My close friends know when it comes to Saturday mornings, don't bug me.  ;-)

Saturday mornings are special for us.  I make a big breakfast, we watch T.V. and hang out together.  I don't like to go anywhere.  I LOVE making a big breakfast.  This used to be every day of our lives before my oldest son started school.  Not going to lie, I miss those days. 

So, for the past week my oldest son keeps asking for French Toast.  I laugh, because it has been forever since I have made us French Toast.  I am surprised he can even remember those days.  But he does have a memory that amazes me, so, really, I shouldn't be surprised.

So, this is what I made this morning and it was so delicious, I had to share.  

Saturday Morning Sourdough French Toast
2 farm fresh (not grocery store) eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk (Whole, Organic or RAW)
1 tsp homemade vanilla (click here on how to make it yourself....super easy)
Pinch of Redmond's sea salt
3/4 tsp of organic cinnamon (more or less to taste)
Bunch of KerryGold or RAW butter, melted in your cast iron skillet
4-6 slices of sourdough (ours was a little old and dried out and was perfect for this)

Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until well blended (I just use a fork or whisk).  Heat your cast iron skillet and butter that skillet up with real butter (if your butter is white, it is not real.  sorry, even if it's organic).  

Dip 1 slice of bread into egg mixture, flip, coating both sides of bread, hold the soaked bread over your egg mixture bowl for a few seconds letting the excess egg mixture drip and then carefully place in your hot skillet with all that amazing butter and cook until golden brown, flip, repeat.  (Think butter is bad for you?  PLEASE read this and this and this.)

And since organic strawberries are finally making a comeback here, I served our French Toast with a bunch of sliced organic strawberries, maple syrup and a couple dashes of powdered sugar (hey, it's Saturday morning.  :-)  )  And of course a BIG glass of RAW milk from Pasture's Delights. 

ENJOY!!!

Happy Eating!!!!

It is not Grade B (which is the best) but it will do.  :-)

Homemade Hand Sanitizer Spray

This was one of the homemade gifts I made for Christmas this year.  I thought I would share the recipe.  I have Witch Hazel to use up.  So, that is why this recipe has it in it.  But after the Witch Hazel is gone I will be going a different route.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer Spray
(This recipe makes 1 1 oz bottle)

1 1 oz glass spray bottle (I buy mine here)
Reverse osmosis or filtered water
1 tsp Lemon Witch Hazel (Whole Foods, Amazon and Meijer carry)
8 drops Company that begins with "do" On Guard essential oil
1 400 IU Vitamin E gel cap (this is what I have so I am using them up, gave me 8-10 drops)*
Small kitchen funnel

Always first wash your hands.  Preferably with an On Guard hand soap (either homemade or bought). :-)

Fill your 1 oz glass bottle 1/2 way with water.  Sit glass bottle on counter top.  Carefully drop 8 drops of your On Guard essential oil into the 1 oz glass bottle.  Put lid back on On Guard (this is like liquid gold and you don't want to accidentally knock it over). 

Then using a sanitized straight pin, poke 2-3 holes into your Vitamin E gel cap in the same location and squeeze the gel cap over the glass bottle, allowing the Vitamin E drops to fall into the glass 1 oz bottle (if you squeeze to hard and the gel globs out all at once, that is ok, just gently run your finger over the top of the glass bottle allowing the Vitamin E to drop into the glass bottle).

Then place your small kitchen funnel carefully into the top of the 1 oz glass bottle.  Slowly pour the 1 tsp of Lemon Witch Hazel into the funnel.  Lastly, pour a small amount of water through the funnel, making sure you don't waste any of the Lemon Witch Hazel left in the funnel.  Then add water (either through the funnel or by carefully pouring it into the bottle) filling the glass bottle to the bottom of the neck of the bottle.

Place sprayer on top of glass bottle and tighten.  Shake well.  I gave these away for Christmas presents and have one in my purse.  

To use:  Spray liberally on hands and rub together.  Repeat as needed.

That's it!


*When you are purchasing Vitamin E oil, just make sure the label says that the oil is safe for internal consumption.  You can buy a bottle of oil, you don't have to but the gel caps.  When a product is labeled "not for internal consumption" the manufacture is not confident and is not standing behind the health and safety of this product to be used internally.  Well.....when we are putting hand sanitizer on our hands....where does it go????  Into our bloodstream (absorbed through the skin), thus far we ARE using it internally.  So just we are careful here.

Such a beautiful and amazing oil.  My kids get 2 drops on the bottoms of their feet every morning and every evening during cold and flu season.  Amazing oil!

Pre-made doTERRA On Guard Foaming Hand Wash

And, of course if you are interested in learning more about doTERRA essential oils, please contact me or visit my website at www.itstimetogreen.com and click on the doTERRA link.

Happy Oiling!!

Dena's Homemade Deodorant Recipe

This is the recipe for the deodorant Dena had with her when she was here teaching.

Thank you Dena!!



Dena's homemade deodorant recipe

1/4 cup unrefined, virgin, organic coconut oil

1 Tbsp organic baking soda*

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder, I prefer Bob's Red Mill

20 drops Company that begins with "do" Bergamot essential oil

20 drops Company that begins with "do" On Guard essential oil

Mix coconut oil, baking soda, and arrowroot with a fork until smooth.  Then add essential oils and mix with a mixer.  Store in a glass container with tight fitting lid.  Using your fingers apply a small amount to each armpit.



*(I have researched this and cannot find organic baking soda 
anywhere nor where it says that arm and hammer baking soda contains aluminum, fyi.   
Please let me know if you find different information.)



Note:  The company that begins with "do" essential oils are the only oils I use and stand behind.  

I will post a picture when I make this.

Happy Oiling!!!

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap (with "do" essential oils)

This recipe is from my Aunt Laura.

2 tbsp unscented Dr. Bronner's castile soap (I had peppermint, so used it)
1/4 tsp fractionated coconut oil (we use The company that begins with "do". ask me how to get wholesale pricing)
10 drops "do" On Guard essential oil (scroll down to almost the bottom)

Fill a glass jar, like this homemade one half way with water, add above ingredients and fill jar to bottom of the pumper with water.  Shake to mix.  Voila!




**As most of you know I am a "do" girl.  I will not use any other brand of essential oil on myself or on my family.  "do" essential oils are the purest, safest, most tested essential oils I could find.  They are BEYOND organic.    

If you want to start using "do" eo's or have questions, please leave me a comment below with your email.  I will not publish the comment so your email address will be seen by me only.

Happy Oiling!!!

Hand soap in glass...FINALLY!!

Oh my word!!!

Look what I made today...and it took minutes.  (Of course, that is thanks to my awesome hubby and his drill.)  :-)

I have been complaining forever that someone needs to make glass hand soap bottles.  I have even emailed Aroma Tools asking for this very item.

Well today, I saw something on Pinterest that had to be made....so here they are.  What do you think?

It was very simple.  All you need is.....
1 plastic ball jar lid (I used a regular mouth size and I buy mine on Amazon here)
1 glass ball jar (I used a regular mouth size) you can get these at Meijer and Walmart
1 foaming pump from an old bottle of hand soap
The tools you see below (or you can use a flat head screwdriver and a hammer and chisel out the hole you need)

This is how you get your hubby or boyfriend to involved in this project. :-)

Aren't the rocks adorable?!?

And that is it!!

I think these jars would be adorable too! 

Click here for the recipe for the foaming hand soap.  :-)

Note: after thinking about it, I don't know if the little river rocks were a good idea or not...I don't know what essential oils do to rocks...maybe the little glass marbles would have been a better choice...need to research here. :-)

Merry Christmas!!!

Homemade Breakfast Patties

This is something I have wanted to try for a long time.  But, to be honest I have spoiled my kids.  They love the shape and size of the tiny breakfast patties you can buy pre-made (and think about how much more pure and healthy these are, being homemade) and hate my hand shaped mini patties.  I guess there is something to say about uniformity. Anyway, I started to research and I found this.  Isn't it cute?  Oh, how much do I love Amazon??  A lot.  :-)

Unfortunately, for you, as of today this patty maker is out of stock.  But keep your eye on it and hopefully they will get more back in stock.  I only paid $7.99 for this one.  So, I would hold out for a bit and see if they get them in stock.  Otherwise, if you don't mind paying $12.95 you can get this one.  Which looks great too.

So, of course I bought my ground turkey from Becker Farms.  Remember this post about Kyle and Emily Becker.  (a.k.a. the best place to buy all of your meat! :-)  ).

I used one pound and made 9 patties.  I wish I would have made a couple of them thinner, so I probably could have had a total of 10-11 patties.

Homemade Breakfast Patties
1 pound local raised ground turkey, chicken, or hog
Redmond's Sea Salt or Celtic Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Cast iron skillet
Small patty press

I would put about 1 1/2 - 2 rounded teaspoons of ground turkey in each patty maker press.  You don't want the meat to the top of the press, but just below.  All I did was sprinkle the patties as they were cooking with salt and pepper (you can add a ton of different ingredients here, but I didn't want to lose my kids, so we went the simple route).  

You do not want to overcook them, so watch them carefully.  Remove from heat when you think they are done.  The patties will cook further when you take them out of the freezer and warm up for later breakfasts, keep in mind.  Of course, I cooked mine in a cast iron skillet, cause I think EVERYTHING tastes better cooked in cast iron.  I season my cast iron skillets with KerryGold butter.  It is the best way I have found to season a cast iron skillet.

Let me and my son tell you...they are DELICIOUS!!!  So, Kyle and Emily, I will be placing an order soon for more ground turkey and sausage!!

They are cooling right now, but after they cool I will place them in a glass Pyrex container and separate them with parchment paper for future breakfasts.  You can thaw them or simply place the frozen patties in your cast iron skillet, heat thoroughly and enjoy.

Enjoy!

And keep living GREEN,

Please Stop Buying Meat at the Grocery Store!

Let me introduce you to Kyle and Emily Becker.  Click here to see their awesome website.

Seriously consider buying your meat from Becker Farms and not at the grocery store any longer.  You have no idea how the animal was raised that you are buying and eating from the grocery store.  Get back to the basics and KNOW your farmer and KNOW how the animal is being raised and slaughtered.

We buy 95% of our meat from Kyle and Emily (I give 5% to the organic boneless breasts I occasionally buy at Costco and rare shopping trips by my hubby).

Today was "The first annual Becker Farms Open House."  We had a tour time of 2:30p.m. 

We arrived and were warmly greeted by the beautiful Emily Becker.  They had set up a tent with fresh cantaloupe, watermelon, cookies, milk, lemonade and water.  A special treat was we got to take the tour with our great friends Leslie and Rick.  (yay!  Love you both.)

Before we had started the tour someone had made a comment about a calf being born.  From where I stood I glanced out onto the field and could see about 6 inches of two calf legs protruding out of the back end of momma cow!  It was amazing!!  I immediately was transported back to my childhood.  We had a farm and raised cows and horses and it was AWESOME!!  I didn't realize how great of a life I had life at that young age, but trust me now I get it and I miss it.  A lot.

So, obviously everyone who was there for the tour was mesmerized and in awe at the awesome display of life that was right before our eyes.  It was AWESOME!!  We didn't get to see the actual birth but it was still something amazing to be there and I was thrilled that my kids got to witness this amazing gift of life and to feel the excitement of God's miracles.

Momma cleaning her new baby.

So, the tour started with the baby chicks.  Ahhhhh so cute.  Then we walked to the laying hen house.  Soooo cool!  And I made a friend in the chicken coup.  As I started to walk out of the coup, I realized that I couldn't move my.  I looked down and the shorts that I was wearing had two strings hanging down on the sides of the leg and one of the amazing little chick girls took a liking to my strings.  She scared me at first and then I thought it was funny as she continued to peck and bite at my strings.

Then we visited the ducks, turkeys and hogs.  And of course every chance we could we had to check out how momma cow and her new calf were doing.  It was so amazing to watch the newborn calf make attempt after attempt to get up on those 4 wobbly legs.  He was taking a nap from the exhaustion of trying to get up when we left, so I didn't get a picture of him walking.

Look close, the turkey's are running towards Kyle.  It was funny.

Piggy tail.

We got to meet Chuck.  Chuck is a chicken who thinks he is a duck.  He lives with the ducks, eats with the ducks and who knows, may walk like a duck.  Just kidding, he walked like a chicken.

Meet Chuck.

So, anyway you get a touch of Becker Farms.  It is real.  It is the way things should be.  Now to let you know why I am really writing this.

WE HAVE TO GET BACK to the basics, we have to have a relationship with our FARMERS!!!!!  We need to purchase directly from our farmers.

We have completely lost the relationship with our food.  We don't think about or for some of us, even care how our food gets to the grocery store.  Is the animal really free range?  Are the animals in a building with 3 million other animals of their type stacked on top of each other, living in their own poop?  Are they picked up for processing by a machine that looks like a combine sucking the chickens in for processing?  What did the cow eat that you are now eating?  What hormones, pain pills, antibiotics are in the meat you are chewing in your mouth right now?  Did the farmer even care about the animals or does he/she simply see dollar signs when he looks at his animals?  Does your farmer care about what he or she is selling to you?  Does your farmer care about your health?  I could go on and on for a week.  You don't know the answer to these questions when you buy meat from the grocery store.

I met a farmer that does care and does it the right way.  And his name is Kyle Becker.  

Of course I knew he was going to be awesome when I heard where he went to college for Veterinary school (BOILER UP!!).  And the fact that he raises grass fed beef....I was sold!  (Thank you to my friend Jessica for introducing me to Kyle and Becker Farms.  Because I haven't looked back.  We actually had to buy a second deep freeze, lol, but that's ok.

Here is what we buy on a regular basis when we start running low in the deep freeze:
1/4 of a grass fed beef (cut the way we like it and DELISH!)
1/2 pig (we had given up pork completely.  until I met Becker Farms.)
Chicken breasts (they have boneless and bone-in)
Ground chicken
Ground turkey
And we always need extra BACON and Ground beef!!!!!!

Here is why I buy Becker's beef:
It is GRASS FED in the summer and forage fed in the winter (just google "why eat grass fed beef" and you will be amazed at the number of posts there are out there on this topic).  The way a cow is supposed to be raised in my opinion.  A cow was not meant to have a diet of genetically modified grains and corn nor to be stuck inside a building year round.  Grass fed cows produce the most nutritious and delicious meat I have ever tasted.  And when you can buy a 1/4 beef the prices are great.  If you can't buy a quarter their prices are competitively priced with grass fed beef today.

Turkey, Ducks, Chickens and Hogs:  They are fed a non-GMO Corn, non-GMO Soy, Organic Kelp and Mineral diet.  They chickens and turkeys get to forage around the field, stretching their wings, happy as a chicken and turkey can get eating bugs and sun bathing.  The hens get oats added to their diets.  Without the corn and oats the chickens are very underweight.
  
You and your family will be much healthier if you buy your meat from a local farmer who actually cares about his animals.  Look at your life.  Are there any area you can cut to free up money for you to use on healthier food? I hope so.  I want the best for you and your family.  And so does Kyle and Emily Becker.

So, get back to the way it was.  The way it should be.  Find a farmer locally, that you can go visit, and see how they raise their animals.  Ask what they feed the animals?  Do they feed them genetically modified feed (GMO)?  Just ask questions.  Find out where you meat is coming from.  And IF you continue to buy your meat from local grocery stores than I challenge you to watch Food Inc. before you buy another item.  You can watch it here for a few dollars.

And if your stomach can stand it, watch this video from Chris Beat Cancer.  I will admit that it was a little difficult for me to watch this video.  But the truth is, this is the way your meat is being processed.  But if you are buying all of your meat in a grocery store, this is the torture and hell your animals are going through.  I am in no way, a vegetarian   I firmly believe that God gives us animals to eat.  But I also know there is a right and a wrong way to care and slaughter an animal.  There is a humane and a non-humane way to care for and slaughter an animal.  This video answers the question of "Do you know where your food comes from?"  And just a side note, I don't drink milk from the grocery store either.  So, the way the video shows the cows being treated is NOT the way my cows are treated.  I, once again, know my farmer where I buy my milk.  There is a lot of peace in that.  A lot.

See the pattern?

Simply put, if you haven't seen the face and said Hi to the farmer that sells you your meat.  Start.

Kyle and Emily Becker
http://www.beckerfarmsin.com/
On FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/beckerfarmsin  
Kyle's cell: 765.714.4457

Becker Farms set up at our local Summer Farmer's Market, the first Saturday in April to the last Saturday in October.  And at our Winter Farmer's Market from the third Saturday in November thru March.  Check out Kyle and Emily's website for more info.  They also list the all the Farmer's Markets they set up at.  You can buy a la carte at the Farmer's Market or call Kyle to buy larger amounts.  And soon you will be able to buy online.  Very cool.

So, take that grocery list that you write for yourself every week and go buy your meat from Becker Farms.

They also have a great CSA available too.  If you are interested contact them.  Trust me you will not be sorry when you taste.


Keep trying to live GREEN,