Banana Muffins

 Have you tried the soaked grain recipes for muffins?  This process helps to make a softer, fluffier whole grain muffin.  This recipe is one of the first I ever tried.  At that time, I would make it in my Bosch Mixer/Blender.  Some time after purchasing it though the blender part died.  I decided to try it in my new Pampered Chef Deluxe Cooking Blender.  I knew it had the power to grind the grain and it would not damage it for the batter to sit overnight.  

Here is my tweak of this recipe.  I want to try it with pumpkin next time. 

Phase 1:

• 3/4 cup of buttermilk
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. melted butter
• 1/3 c. raw honey
• 1 1/2 very ripe bananas, broken in pieces
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/3 c. Pastry whole wheat berries (NOT flour.  1 1/2 c. if using other grains like spelt or kamut.)

Blend all together starting at the lowest speed and increasing to the highest speed.  Let it blend for 3 minutes to be sure that all of the grain has been ground.  You may have to add additional liquid to keep the batter churning for 3 full minutes.  Cover blender and let it sit overnight at room temperature. If you make this in the morning for the evening, just let it sit 8+ hours and even up to 24 hours before finishing with Phase 2.  This is similar to a sour dough process. 

Phase 2: 

Add 1 egg to the blender and hit the pulse button a time or two to blend. I actually put the leavening agents in a little cup so all I have to do in the morning is dump it in after I blend in the egg.  Now add the following:

• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt

Pulse a few more times to blend in the leavening agents.  Now you can add walnuts or pecans if you family likes them.  To ensure they are easy to remove from the muffin tins, I use paper muffin cups and then spray the muffin cups with vegetable spray.  

Bake 20 minutes at 350*.  Cool muffins in the pan for 3-5 minutes and then serve warm with fresh butter and honey.  

Alternatively, you can use freshly milled flour and mix phase one with a wooden spoon and cover until morning.  Then proceed with phase 2 and bake the next day. 

 This last couple of weeks, I have been working on a few canning projects.  I tried a new recipe that I LOVE and want to share.  Have you ever heard of Pear Honey?  My husband immediately said I was not going to can all of the honey we had just harvested from the bees.  It took a bit of explanation to show him that there is no honey in this recipe.  In fact, it is a honey like texture and flavor but all from pineapple and pears.  To make this recipe, I used my Pampered Chef Deluxe Cooking Blender on the Jam Setting.  I followed the directions as listed in the recipe except, I added the crushed pineapple at the end when the blender beeps for you to add the pectin.  This recipe is a sauce, so no pectin is needed.  To make this an even faster recipe, I used my apple wedger to make fast work of preparing the pears.  Try out this recipe if you have extra pears on hand and want to try something new.  Oh, and I have some of these Wek jars in my Amazon cart.  They are just too cute! 

Taste of Home's

Pear Honey Recipe

Psalm 138 sung by Jason Silver 

We have been reading through the Psalms for our devotion time.  I love this arrangement of Psalm 138. Here is a link to Charles Spurgeon's commentary on this particular Psalm.  I shared this with my Classical Conversations students as well.  In light of the many challenges of 2020, we discussed the many difficult years that humanity has survived this world.  We talked about times of war such as World War I, World War II, times of hunger such as the Great Depression and times of sorrow and loss such as the many children who were moved to the country during The Blitz, but never were returned home to their families in England.  We also talked about all of the difficult times that had occurred before David wrote this Psalm and how we can trust the Lord and Praise HIM even during difficult times.  We can even thank HIM during difficult times as He will use them for a greater good even though it may not seem possible during the challenging times or times of sorrow.  So today, I challenge myself to life the Lord above every thing and trust HIM to increase my strength of soul rather then relying on my own abilities, which are always lacking.   

Weekly Menu Plan with a list of things to prepare over the weekend

We are working to trim up a bit and get back to eating a healthy and more traditional foods diet.  Here is my menu for the week.  I will be using up a few things from the pantry that are processed, but I am trying to keep that to a minimum. I also will use some of the honey we harvested as well as pecans that are ripening on the trees. 

Weekend Prep:

1) Make Skim Milk Yogurt

2) Boil a dozen eggs in the electric pressure cooker

3) Make a whole chicken/chicken broth

4) Make Apple Snap Granola

Breakfasts:

 Yogurt Smoothies

Air Fryer Eggs & Bacon or Sausage

Yogurt and Apple Snap Granola

Cottage Cheese w/fruit

Scrambled Egg Wraps

Boiled Eggs

Overnight Oats

Lunches:

Chicken Salad

Grain-Free Mini Cheese Pizzas

Homemade Lunchables w/ Ak-Mak crackers (minimally processed)

Meat Patties w/Cauliflower & Carrot Puree

Salmon Patties, steamed peas, sautéed squash 

Dinners:

Sesame-Orange Chicken with Arborio Rice

Taco Tuesday with lettuce, Pico de Gallo, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, black olives 

Chicken, Wild Rice, and steamed broccoli 

Chicken Burrito Bowls with Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and Seasoned Black Beans

Tarragon-Dijon Meatballs with Garlic-Tarragon Gravy, Sweet Potato Wedges, Green Beans

Korean Beef Bowl with Brown Rice

 

It's cotton time in Texas.

Avery running through a cotton field before the harvest began.