Whiteley Creek Homestead

everything orange

I was in the health food store a few days ago and orange color popped out at me from every corner... papaya puree, orange cauliflower, and red lentils. Why they are named "red" lentils I don't know, since they are orange .

 

I bought two bottles of the papaya puree and have been adding a bit to our glass of water. It doesn't add a sweet taste, but it does supply tons of nutrition. I ran across a recipe for Red Lentils with Cauliflower and Potatoes... how perfect for what I have on hand, so I guess that seals my decision about what to prepare for tonight's supper.

April 5, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for April: 17.5 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

 

morning's yard sales

This morning, the yard sale circuit on my bike netted me a cheerful red suitcase. I carried it home by looping the handle over my bike's handlebar. After scrubbing the dirt and scuff marks, it was ready to use as storage for my embroidery supplies. It's got elasticized gathered pockets along three sides in the bottom section to tuck some little things. 

  

Over a four-year period, I have purchased every color of DMC floss so that when I am ready to start an embroidery project I have what I need. I organized them in Ziploc bags with two holes punched along the bottom edge to loop two metal rings. It works like a Rolodex address/phone number filing device. I placed 5 colors in each bag with a label identifying the enclosed floss. The bags, with holes punched in them, are available at Joanns in the embroidery supply aisle. My daughter Jessica uses an alternate method using an old metal file drawer that works great, too. While on the subject of organization, check out some of her other creative ideas for organizing craft supplies.  

When we arrived back home after pedaling our 9 1/2 mile yard sale loop, we needed a serious snack. Upon peering in the fridge and pantry, I came up with an avocado that I spread on Doctor Kracker spelt crackers that are sprinkled with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flax. I topped it with wild caught salmon (as opposed to farm-raised), a cucumber slice, and a cherry tomato. A sprinkle of Johnny's Seasoning Salt and some freshly ground pepper and we were good to go... along with a small juice-size glass of POM 100% pomegranate juice.

 

Note: When purchasing Johnny's Seasoning Salt, you have the option of ordering a variety with msg and one without. I order the kind without msg.

April 4, 2009

Today's mileage: 9.5-mile bike ride

Total mileage for April: 15.5 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

banana cream pie

I purchased a Heartland brand ready-made granola crust and knew that I must make a banana cream pie with it. I found a recipe in an Eat Smart with Ellie Krieger Magazine that ended up being a keeper. The recipe's length deceptively makes it appear complicated and time-consuming, but it's really very simple and goes together quickly, especially if you use a tasty nutritious ready-made crust.  What makes it "cleaner" is using skim or 1% rather than whole milk, reduced eggs, and less sugar. Also, the traditional banana cream pie has a thick layer of filling with a few banana slices. This recipe uses many banana slices with just a thin layer of filling. The granola crust's subtle coconut flavor complements the vanilla pudding, so I say take a shortcut and use this granola crust. After I made Ellie's recipe, I found another on the Cooking Light web site from their June 1995 issue of Cooking Light Magazine that appears to be even "cleaner". Oh darn, we'll have to eat another banana cream pie. :)

 

Banana Cream Pie from Ellie Krieger

14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp water

1 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin (I used ¾ tsp *agar agar powder, but I would try ½ tsp for a less firm filling.)

3 tbsp boiling water (Omit if using agar agar.)

1/3 cup plus ½ tsp sugar

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups low-fat milk (I used skim.)

2 large egg  yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups ¼-inch-thick banana slices (3 medium bananas)

¼ cup well-chilled heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray or oil. To make the crust, in a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes then cool. Meanwhile make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. (If using agar agar, add the powder or flakes directly into the hot milk mixture.) In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of the sugar and the flour.  In a medium bowl, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together. Add the egg-and-milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla and the gelatin slurry. Set aside to cool slightly. Arrange the sliced bananas in the crust and pour the pudding on top. Place in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours. Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the remaining ½ tsp sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put a dollop of whipped cream on each pie slice and garnish with banana slices. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.*Agar agar, which is a.k.a. kanten, is a derived from seaweed. It dissolves in hot liquids and thickens as it cools to room temperature or below.  

 

April 3, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for April: 6 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

 

 

 

newspaper seed/seedling pots

Since yesterday was the 1st day of April, I needed to transfer my seedlings, that sprouted from my January and February plantable calendar pages embedded with wildflower seeds, into pots to make room for planting March's page in their place. I have been researching a variety of ways to create seed/seedling pots from newspaper, so I thought this was the perfect time to try it. 

 

There is a very precise You Tube video to walk you through the steps. So simple and fun to make.

 

The newspaper will decompose in your garden or you can remove it before setting the plant into the garden. I can't vouch for the longevity of the pots' sturdiness since this is the first time I have used them, but it's a great way to reuse newspaper and they are so dang cute. 

April 2, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for April: 4 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

How I Lowered my Cholesterol without Meds

This is how I did it... It began with my doctor telling me in September 2008 that I must go on cholesterol-lowering medication. He was concerned with my numbers. (See yesterday's post.) I'm always up for a good challenge and this was no exception. I told him, "Just give me 6 months to try some things to lower it on my own through diet and exercise." I got busy fine-tuning my plan to incorporate everything I had in my arsenal.

Most every morning, I was already eating a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal topped with a tbsp of ground flaxseed, an apple, raisins, cinnamon, and milk (nonhomgenized, low temperature pasteurized or raw) with no sweetener, so I continued that. I also began to introduce other hot cereals (e.g., buckwheat groats, quinoa, and brown rice). We had already reduced meat intake, but I reduced it even further by preparing more vegetarian dishes. The meat we consumed was lean grass-fed/finished ground beef or buffalo/bison and free-range poultry. I increased fiber even more by buying whole grain products with a minimum of 4 grams per serving, grinding my own whole grain flours like amaranth, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat adding in flaxseed and wheat germ in my baking, prepared bean and sprouted brown rice and quinoa dishes, and ate more fresh veggies and fruit. I still used butter in my baking, but I adapted recipes substituting applesauce for some of the butter. I started taking fish oil capsules daily. I began to exercise consistently 5 days a week (walking, riding bike, aquasize, and yoga). I lost 10 pounds. Since I made a number of changes, I can't say what specifically was the magic bullet. I'd say it all worked together to produce the results I was aiming for.

While listening to Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl half-time performance in January, some lyrics in his Working on a Dream song reverberated through my mind and gave me a renewed determination to rise above this hurdle to regain control of my runaway cholesterol. "I'm working on a dream. Though sometimes it feels so far away, I'm working on a dream. I know it will be mine someday."

April 1, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for April: 2 miles

Bible reading? Yes.