Why We Eat Spaceships with Tails - sprouting legumes and grains is worth it!

There is only so much time in a day, why on earth is sprouting legumes, grains or seeds a good idea?

Let me make myself perfectly clear. Sprouting takes less than 4 minutes of your time from start to finish. That 4 minutes will pay you back exponentially.

Exponential improvement in the health of you and your tribe allowing you to live and be your best!  A promise about soaking stuff in water first?  Yes indeed!

Sprouting is something I started doing to help our 15 year old daughter as she battles c diff colitis Remember the Big MAC diet post?

Microbiota Accessible Carbohydrates….these are the Big MAC’s we LOVE at our house. I add sprouted legumes to EVERYTHING and in so doing help our daughters gut heal while improving our own health.

They aren't just good for her, they are good for all of us! Our uber picky 8 year old almost died and refused to eat the "tail" the first time he saw sprouted lentils added to a burrito.  I laughed and told him, "dude, you need to eat the whole spaceship with the tail." Sold.

• Legumes are packed with the fiber the critters in our intestines (gut microbiome) LOVE to eat. The equation is simple. High fiber foods = food for intestinal bacteria = stronger microbiome.
• Fiber is what the critters in your gut eat. Well-fed gut critters = happy, healthy gut critters. Check.
• Fiber keeps you full longer. Check.
• Fiber saves you time sitting on the porcelain throne. Check.
• Sprouting legumes prior to eating helps make them easier to digest (shhh this means less gas). Check.
• Cheap plant based protein - 1/2 cup cooked lentils have 8 grams of protein. Double Check.
• Dry legumes are super cheap. Less than $1 a pound at any grocery store. Last time I was at Costco, organic chicken was about $6 a pound. You have math skills too. Check.

Plenty of reasons to want to add legumes, grains and seeds to your diet but sprouting them first? Yes!!!

Sprouting – DISCLAIMER… if they smell weird, are slimy or moldy….DO NOT EAT THEM!!!!

If you have a mason jar you can do this. Nothing technical, nothing wacky.

Benefits of Sprouting

Complex carbohydrates are broken down into easier to digest carbohydrates = less gas.

Sprouting also allows for our body to absorb more nutrients = more vitamins and minerals to help the cells in our body fight and be its strongest.

If you are sprouting legumes or grains, they will cook faster. Check

Ever head of alkaline (plant based foods) vs acidic (sugar and heavily processed foods) foods? The more alkaline the better. Guess what, sprouting makes legumes, grains and seeds more alkaline which is SUPER AMAZING for our body!!!

If you are still reading, there is a chance you might try sprouting. Seriously it takes nothing fancy.

Here are the steps to sprout your own goodness:

• Rinse 1 cup of lentils (legumes, grains or seeds)
• Place rinsed lentils in a 1 qt mason jar
• Fill jar to the shoulder with water and let it sit overnight or for about 12 hours
• Use your fingers and hand as a colander (or cheese cloth secured with a ring) and drain water.
• Prop jar on a towel at an angle to allow for drainage and air flow.
• Rinse 2-3 times a day by filling the jar with fresh water and pouring it out again using your fingers and hand or cheesecloth  as a strainer. Continue to prop jar on a towel at an angle. Your sprouts are ready when they have ¼ inch “tails.” (After the overnight soak, it takes until about the end of the second day to get them to sprout.)
• Place sprouted lentils in a medium saucepan and add water to cover plus an inch or so. Bring to a boil then cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 min or until tender. Each legume or grain will have a different cooking time BUT it will be faster than a non-sprouted legume or grain.  Freeze extra in zip lock baggies, all ready portioned.

WHERE TO USE SPROUTED grains or legumes –

SALADS, SOUP, CASSEROLES, SCRAMBLED EGGS and add to meat dishes like tacos, shredded bbq. You name it and I will have been accused of adding lentils to it.

They are amazing in everything and with everything!!! There is also a really good chance you can get away with them added to brownies and cookies too. Shhhh!

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Brooke

FAST FOOD for Fall Part 1 of 3

Hey You Guys! (Think Goonies!)

Gotcha!  I have been AWOL for awhile BUT have not fallen off my rocker. This post is no ode to the deliciousness of Chick-Fil-A or McDonald's. We rarely eat at those joints because we hate how we feel after we are done noshing. I would bet you feel the same way but still need something as easy and convenient to turn to during those times you are caught in a meal crisis.

Perhaps you would like something easy, fast, affordable and good for you? We all do! Today I share my secret to keeping my family in as much fast food as they want. The only caveat is that this fast food comes from the freezer not a drive through.

The secret to fast food at our house is no longer a secret.  Cupcake tins, silicone cupcake liners (BPA free of course ;) and a freezer bag hold the key to easy, fast, affordable and good for you.

Make the grub, freeze the grub then enjoy your healthy grub when you are in a pickle. This works well for all sizes of families and even college students. Freezing portions of delicious food keeps it from spoiling, keeps you with good for you options and is super convenient.

Fast Food for fall!

I’ve been freezing food like this since college. I started with spaghetti sauce and this recipe for Calico Beans was the second one to do the cupcake tin routine. Love that silicone cupcake liners have been invented since then!

This recipe is incredibly flexible. It halves or doubles with no problems. It can be made vegan or carnivore. You can even leave out the sugar (I have done that but didn’t like it as much).

Calico Beans

Brown:

• 5-6 strips of pre-cooked bacon- it will crisp up in the pot, don’t microwave it (optional)
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 pound hamburger, ground turkey or ground chicken (optional)

Add:

• 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15 oz) cans great white (northern) beans, NOT drained and rinsed
• 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, NOT drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp Tabasco or Franks Hot Sauce
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Water, add enough to bring the liquid level just below the below the top of the beans. Bring to a boil then turn it down to simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hours (stir occasionally)…if you have less time to let it simmer it’s fine too. It gets tastier as the flavors all meld together.

We eat with saltines, a string cheese and clementine’s or oranges. The vitamin C from the oranges helps your body absorb the iron from the beans and ground meat too.  Maybe that’s weird but it’s perfectly delicious. The kiddos eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Once it has cooled we scoop the leftovers into the silicone cupcake liners and freeze. Pop them out once they have frozen solid and store in a gallon bag.  FAST FOOD for fall AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!!!

Calico Beans - our fast food!

Thanks for reading!

Best,

Brooke

Too many Tomatoes? Solve Your Problem with This Recipe!

Tomato lover? Here's how you can tell.

• You own and use wall-o-waters.
• You may or may not admit to saving egg shells to add to your soil where you plant tomatoes.
• You grow heirlooms for flavor adventure but know they take forever to ripen so you have hybrids too.
• You have tried several types of cages and almost drooled when they finally started selling heavier gage wire cages in cute colors.
• You don't buy store tomatoes.
• You would rather NOT have a tomato than eat one that tastes like cardboard.

If you are overflowing with tomatoes it's time to FREEZE them. Yes, you know I am obsessed with freezing everything but this one is a no brainer. Quarter, (freeze on a silpat), pile and cram until your gallon bag is bulging. We use these frozen tomatoes several ways:

• in our fruit and veggie smoothies
• in tomato bisque soup
• in tortilla soup (will post in a few weeks)

Today, I share with you my Tomato Bisque soup that can be made with fresh or frozen tomatoes.

Oh and if you were wondering if it were any good ... ALL 5 of us eat it. That says A LOT!

AND I served it to friends at a Christmas party last year.

DINNER GUEST WORTHY RECIPE!

Tomato Bisque

• 8-10 cups quartered tomatoes
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 6-8 Tbsp whole wheat flour (white whole wheat or regular whole wheat)
• 5 cups water
• 5-8 Tbsp Bouillon ( I use the Organic Better than Bouillon Chicken Flavor)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4-1/2 tsp powdered thyme (or 2 fresh sprigs if you have it)

If using frozen tomatoes, set them out a few hours ahead of time. I just dump 1/2 a gallon sack into my 8 cup Pyrex mixing bowl. They need to be able to blend down and be smooth so you don't want them frozen solid. You can also thaw in the microwave and add some of the water (5 cups) it calls for toward the end of the recipe to thin them down so they can blend smoothly.

Blend 1/2 the tomatoes in your high powered blender until seeds are obliterated.

In a large saucepan or medium sized pot add butter and oil over medium heat. CAREFULLY add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent.

Add 6-8 Tbsp whole wheat flour to onion mixture to form a roux. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to cook the raw flavor out of the flour.

Add roux to blender with 1/2 the tomatoes you all ready blended smooth. Blend mixture until smooth. It will take a minute or so on high to get the texture smooth and lovely. Add mixture back to the pot. Blend remaining tomatoes until smooth and add to your pot. Add water ( I measure with the tomatoey blender to rinse out the goodness into my pot not the sink), boullion, bay leaves and thyme. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and fresh thyme (if you used it). ENJOY!!!!

Each packed 1 gallon bag makes 2 batches of soup.

We love tomato soup with grilled cheese. We discovered cutting the sandwich into soldiers (rectangles) made for a better dipping experience.

Freeze your tomatoes! Do it now and pack away as many as you can. 

Last year I froze about 15 gallons for our family. I only have 4 1/2 gallons as of today but give me a week or two and all I'll have my 15 gallon supply of tomatoes all nestled away in their icy tomb.

Stay tuned for a similar tomato based recipe for Tortilla Soup in a few weeks. Another awesome recipe to use up your tomatoes when the chill sets in!

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Happy Freezing!

Brooke