Challenge 4

1. drink more water

2. green smoothies

3. toss the junk, read labels, make good choices

I hope you're having fun and feeling good. I still struggle with the water. It should be the easiest but I forget. I bought a nice water bottle. It's quart size, convenient, spill proof, but I forget about it. Today it is sitting on my bedside table. When it is with me all my kids want some. I suppose they need it to but then I don't know how much I'm getting. The other problem is that I'm a guzzler. I like to down a big glass of water when I'm thinking about it but with my bottle I have to suck and it takes longer and I don't get as much. Tough I know. We all have our challenges. I'm hoping to have big cups of water with my meals and sip throughout the day with my water bottle.

4. * Whole Grains! This is something that many people I know and love already are trying to do. I'm so glad. It makes me feel good to think I'm doing something right. I got stuck in a bucket of red wheat. Everything I made was darker and heavier. We survived and now I tell you that the white wheat is heavenly. I am loving it. I made sweet rolls with a little butter, apples and a little sugar. I've made bread. I even made hamburger and hot dog buns, bagged the extras for the freezer so I won't be tempted to buy a bag.

The next goal if you are already doing whole grains would be to learn about sprouted and/or fermented grains. Our grains really are amazing and the nutrition level leaps as you sprout your grains. As for fermenting or soaking you grains the ability to absorb the nutrients improves and digestion becomes easier. It is the next step in getting the most from your grains. I have been cooking with sourdough and it has been fun and yummy. Some of our favorites have been from Lazy Organizer. Scroll down to find her pitas, muffins, and bagels.

This was a double batch of bagel and the whole family loves them except Sunny. He only has one front tooth and that makes it hard. It tastes really good warm with cream cheese, fresh berries and a drizzle of honey. Combine it with a green smoothie for breakfast and you get a great start to your day.

Especially if you are lucky enough to find a friendly strawberry looking right back at you.

Or a sweet little girl topping your smoothie!

The pitas took a little practice. Some of them are working but all of them taste good. I just have to cut some of them open because they didn't develop the big bubble that creates the pocket. I chopped a bunch of fresh veggies from the fridge (cauliflower, red pepper, cucumber, zucchini, onion, tomato) add salt and pepper. It was great.

Sour dough pancake are very easy and good. A soaked grain idea for breakfast was soaking old fashion oats in milk and yogurt over night. In the morning we added fresh chopped fruit and a little of our honey. It was great, cool, and healthy.

Whole Wheat Sour Dough Bagels
2 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups wheat flour
1/3 cup sour dough starter

In the evening combine all ingredients.  Knead or mix in your mixer for ten minutes. Cover with plastic and leave on the counter. In the morning the dough should be doubled.

Knead for a minute and then divide dough into 12-14 balls. Take the balls and put your thumbs through the middle of the ball to make a bagel shape. Work the hole to 2 inches because the holes will shrink when they rise although I don’t mind if the hole closes up a bit. It helps keep the toppings from falling through.

Allow the bagels to rest for 20 minutes. I ruined my first batch by letting them rest too long so don’t do it! While the bagels are resting, start boiling a pot of water on the stove. Add honey or sugar (about 1/3 cup) to the water. After the bagels have rested and your water is boiling drop the bagels two or three at a time into the boiling water. Boil for one minute. Do not over boil or your bagels will fall apart. After a minute remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on greased cookie sheet.

After the bagels are boiled you can brush them with an egg wash ( one egg white and about 3 Tbs of water) but it isn’t required. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Sour dough takes longer to bake than regular dough so it may need to go longer.