Breakfast time.

     Who doesn't want cake for breakfast? Most coffee cakes are very loaded down with sugar, and the recipe I love is no exception. However, I tried to at least healthify it a bit so we could call it "breakfast" and not "dessert". Even so, this is made pretty sparingly but oh so welcomed when it is. It is a great Saturday breakfast served with a healthy smoothie. This recipe is eggless so I didn't leave them out of the recipe. Try it out and let me know what you think. I put down my healthier version in parentheses for those of you who are ready for that.

Cinnamon Breakfast Cake

2 C. Whole Grain Flour (Sprouted flour)

2 t. Baking Powder

1/4 t. salt (Celtic salt)

1 C. Real Maple Syrup

1 C. Sour Cream ( thick kefir)

1 T. Melted Butter

Mix until moistened and Spread in greased 9X13 pan.

Top with the following mixture:

3/4 C. Brown Sugar (Coconut Sugar)

1 T. Cinnamon

After you sprinkle mixture over batter, slice one cube of butter and press into mixture evenly. 

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until done in center.

New Farmers Market in Gilbert

Trouble viewing this email? View it in your Browser. Gilbert Farmers Market Every Saturday 9AM-1PM in Downtown Gilbert Thursday, February 17th 2011 WERE OPEN RAIN OR SHINE!!   GET YOUR GIRL SCOUT COOKIES @ THE MARKET THIS WEEKEND!  Growers/Farmers Attending this Weekend: NEW FARMER ANNOUNCEMENT!Desert Roots Farm is Featuring:  Green & Red Head Lettuce, Spinach, Green Garlic, Carrots, Turnips, Watermelon Radishes, Broccolini, Broccoli, Bok Choy & possibly Red Russian Kale & Arugula & More! L&B Citrus  is Featuring: The BEST Citrus grown in Gilbert including Navel Oranges, Lemons, Grapefruit & Tangelos Hatching Bunnies Farm is Featuring:  Farm Fresh Eggs, Organic Heirloom Tomato Seedlings from Sweet Corn Organic Nursery as well as Chinese Cabbage, Spinach, Radishes, Purple & Orange Carrots, Turnips & ready to eat Lettuce Mixes & More! One Windmill Farm is Featuring:  Tomatoes, Lettuce, Spinach, Radishes, Carrots, Broccolli, Brussel Sprouts, Celery, Cabage, Cauliflower, Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Peppers, Garlic, Ginger, Herbs & Even Apple Cider & More! Food Vendors Attending this Weekend: NEW VENDOR ANNOUNCEMENT! Fiscallini Cheese Offering Hand Crafted Cheese's! Get your COFFEE at the Market from Bergies Coffee House Freshly Made Baklava from AIG Large Moist Tamales from Tamal Le Cuisine Multiple Cuts of Grass Fed Beef from Double Check Ranch Freshly Made Pita Chips & Dips from Doctor Hummus Kettle Corn, Carmel Corn & Other Flavors from Bubba's Popcorn Homemade Biscotti & More from Gina's Homemade Fire Roasted Salsa & More from Arizona Pepper Bandits Wild Alaskan Salmon & More from Davy Jones Seafood Pasta, Pasta & More Pasta from Decio Pasta 8 Types of Smoked Sea Salt & more from Go Lb Salt Honey, Jams, Jellies & More from Made By Bees Multiple types of Teas from Zen Fusion Tea    Craft Vendors Attending this Weekend: CeramiCook, Diamonds to Diapers,  Enchanted Flowers, East Valley Glass Art, Scentsible Suds & Wabi Sabi Body Treats!  Be sure to Visit Back Fit Chiropractic for a FREE MASSAGE   After Shopping at the Market take a Relaxing ride on our Horse Drawn Carriage pulled by a horse from Disney!    BRING SMALL BILLS, MOST VENDORS ONLY ACCEPT CASH!!  Visit us Online at www.GilbertFarmersMarket.com Follow us on Facebook & Twitter Give us a Review on Yelp Hours: OPEN RAIN OR SHINE! Saturday's 9AM-1PM Location of Market:  222 N. Ash St. Gilbert, Az 85234 in Downtown Gilbert just West of the Water Tower! Thank You For Your Support! WE NEED YOUR VOTES!! PLEASE VOTE FOR Gilbert Farmers Market for BEST EAST VALLEY FARMERS MARKET! CLICK HERE TO VOTE Were located in "Shopping"  YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY!! If you would like to unsubscribe please click here.

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Life's Challenges

I'll tell you, this guy can break me. He has put me through the ringer for sure. He has made me stronger and better than anyone else could have. But, my heart aches for him. I want to fix him but my magic powers aren't working right. 

He is now 6. When he was first diagnosed at 2, I told myself, and many others that I would have him fixed by 6. Well, we are there and my outlook has changed over the last 4 years. He is Tate. He doesn't need to be anything else and although he has come so very far from where he was, he will always be my special Tate. I am happy with that. Really. I am thankful for the blessing of raising him. He is happy and loves life, on most days. What breaks my heart, though, is that his words are trapped in his cute little head. He tries to say everything and says many things but it is very hard to understand. He can't form the letters well so the words are jumbled. I try so hard to understand but even as his mom, I can't always tell what he needs. I remember the first day I sent him off for school, I eagerly picked him up to see how his day went and then I cried. He couldn't tell me how it went. I had no idea what he did or if he had a new friend. Was his teacher nice or mean? Did they have recess or sing a song? I cried for myself and for him.

I started to get used to Tate not being able to tell me details as he could communicate just enough to get his basic needs met. But it is getting harder. He is smart. He knows what he wants but can you even imagine what it would be like to not be able to communicate? Not be able to tell someone what you want or what you need? I can't and when I think about this, my heart aches.

Yesterday was one of those heart ache days. The bus came and dropped him off in front of my house. He stepped off and as the bus was leaving, he started screaming for the bus. "Bus, back!" The bus went on and he was hysterical. I have never even seen him like that. He wouldn't leave the front yard. He wouldn't calm down. He even tried to go after the bus on his bike. Nothing I said or did helped. I could not understand what he needed or what he may have left on the bus that was so important. I felt so helpless. I tried to guess but nothing was right. I sat with him and cried. I told him how sorry I was that I could not understand. Then I got mad at him for carrying it on too long; that didn't work either. I kept telling him that the bus wasn't going to come back until tomorrow. He still wouldn't come inside. 

I left him outside with his dad and even called the bus depot. I asked them to have the driver call me after her shift so I could find out what he may have left behind. 

After an hour of Tate waiting outside, now pushing 5pm, he came in the door, shouting with all the excitement a boy could have! "Bus! Back!" Sure enough, this angel bus driver saw after her shift that Tate had left the snack bucket behind. It was his job to bring it back the next day to share snacks with his friends. It was so important to him and he had left it on his seat. She saw it there and after her shift, she came back to our house to bring it to him. She is my hero. 

I held back the tears and hugged him and shared his joy. All evening, I had a sad heart thinking about my inability to hear his voice, that I could not understand his need and fix it. I waited to get the kids to sleep and my plan was to take a nice hot bath and to cry my eyes out.  I started the tub and hopped in. After about an inch of water filled the tub, the water went cold. Then I cried. Could I not even have a little hot water to drown my sorrows in? Nope. I dried off, all one inch of my self and crumbled in my closet and cried. Mom tears. 

I pray and hope some day this little one can tell me everything. I won't even complain one bit if the stories go on too long. I promise. 

Being a mother can be hard. I left my friend, Annabeth's house today as we discussed her little one fighting for her life from cancer. I am sure Annabeth has been crumbled in her closet as well. But, we push back the tears, dry off and fight. We both agreed these little ones were here to make us better. We just both wished they didn't have to suffer for our sake. 

Costco Organics

I have been trying so hard to do the full Costco sweep of deals and write down every single great organic item to buy in that store. But....there is always that time issue. I have yet to find the moment to actually stroll through the store, combing each and every isle. It is usually a mad dash attempt to stock up before picking up a child from a certain activity. Thanks to my friend April, she sent me a list of some of her favorite buys (mine too) and I added a few of mine along with it:


Euro Fresh Roma Plum tomatoes...4.99
"                 " Campari tomatoes......5.79

In the cold section

Euro Fresh mini cucumbers....4.79 
Euro Fresh seedless cucumbers the big ones...3.99
Earthbound farm apple slices in a bag...organic.....6.99
Organic Petite Heirloom lettuce 3 pack 3.49
Organic spinach .....3.49
Organic spring mix....3.79


In the freezer section 

Organice edamame, carrots, corn blend ...9.89
Organic supersweet white corn.....5.19
Organic petite whole green beans....5.59

Organic sweet peas......price?


Organic corn chips, GMO free: $4.70?
Trio Bars, on sale this week for just under $12
Organic Apples: prices vary


Lunch meat, not organic but nitrate free and preservative free: Kirkland whole turkey breast: varies by weight. 




If you see any great deals out there, pass them on! 

Pregnant?

There must be something in the water because it seems like 1/2 of my emails lately have been on what to take when pregnant. Taking a high quality prenatal is so important to that little soul along with eating a diet high in vitamins and free of garbage. In addition, taking an additional methyl folate supplement is also very important as folate is what is needed for cellular formation. They are finding that many children on the spectrum are very low in folate. In addition, birth defects are reduced by about %50 if women who 
take the recommended daily folate dosage. Women who don't take enough also have an increased rate of miscarriages and still births. Anemia can also be caused by folate deficiency and can cause the mom to be to be a big grumpy and edgy. (Never had that happen before!)


    I called New Beginnings lab whom I trust for their choice in supplements. They use the pure ingredients, free from fillers and of top quality. They don't sell a prenatal so their recommendation is unbiased. They recommend a prenatal by Pure Essence labs called "Mother to Be". You can find it at Amazon:

     The folate I recommend is Methyl Folate by New Beginnings which I can order for $26. It comes with 120 tablets so taking one daily, it will last you 4 months. 

    As far as the morning sickness that can come with this little bun in the oven....taking B6, B12 and ginger have been found to be very helpful. It isn't always the magic solution but for many, it does the trick. 

B6 is $6 for 100 tabs

B12 in liquid form is $35

Congratulations my pregnant mamas! Take care of that little baby. 

     

Mexican Pizza in 15 minutes flat.

     It was 2pm on Saturday and kids were hungry. I have no bread, tortillas, crackers. Nothing. Nothing that would constitute a quick lunch. I did have some leftover refried beans and corn in the fridge and I always have salsa and trimmings. So, in 15 minutes from start to finish, we had these great slices of Mexican pizza. My kids told me, "Why don't you make these ALL the time?" I don't know but I will now. So easy and you could do almost anything with it.

     All you need to do is make the super quick, 5 minute dough and then throw on whatever you want. It is an unleavened dough so it will be thin and crispy, somewhat like a fat tortilla. Mexican toppings are probably the best option to go with.

    I also did not have any fresh flour ground so I did mine in all white flour (gasp...I know) but I would next time do 1/2 and 1/2. No more than that. You are getting very little dough to topping ratio so I am not too worried. We added lettuce for the ruffage.  Here you go, try this out on the ninos.

Unleavened Pizza Dough

2 Cups flour

1 tsp. sea salt

2 T. olive oil

2/3 cup water

Mix flour and salt and add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix until all together with a spoon and add more water/flour if needed. Dough is fairly stiff.

Knead by hand on surface for about 2-3 minutes. Divide into two balls and let sit a couple minutes, covered, while you get your toppings together.

Roll out balls into about 13 inch circles. Cover with whatever toppings you want and cook in a 500 degree oven on the bottom rack until lightly golden on edges and the bottom is done. It took me around 8 minutes. This would be great on a pizza stone as well.

Top with lettuce, avocado, salsa, etc. when done.

This would be great with enchilada sauce as the base sauce. I did refried beans mixed with fresh salsa, sprinkled on the corn and cheese. Baked and then added my cilantro, lettuce, salsa and avocado. Yum.

Oil order and order question....

First off, I am going to place another oil order tomorrow  since so many people are calling for the Breathe oil to get their little ones cough settled. Seems to be the germ of choice right now. So, if you want to get in on it, just shoot me an email before tomorrow at 3pm.


There are a couple deals right now:


The first aide pack: $133 (Regularly $147)
Eucalyptus
Geranium
Lavender
Marjoram
Peppermint
Tea Tree
Fysical Touch


The liver cleanse pack: $25 (regularly $30)


Lemon
Peppermint


The Staph pack: $100 (regularly $146)


Defense
Guardian
Spice
Eucalyptus
Tea Tree


The oil reference books are $55


Someone had asked me to order them a book last week (not you, Tiffany) and I didn't write it down. Can you remind me please?


Thanks!

Sprouting class by Kara

For those of you wanting to learn about sprouting up close and personal, Kara Bagley will have a class in her East Mesa home this next wednesday. Visit her blog here for details.

Adventures in Sprouting....the small stuff.

One of my goals this year was to learn to sprout a little more. If you google on the internet, "how to sprout", you will get a bucket full of ideas and methods. For me, I need something simple. I don't want new gadgets to buy. I want to use what I have and I want it to work the first time. Well, I got lucky. This time. Not so much with the new dinner dish I made the other night but it worked with my sprouts. 


I have already conquered the basic grains for my bread and baking like spelt, kamut, wheat and barley. Those are easy because they are big. You can see my demo here. I was now going to try the small stuff like millet, quinoa and buckwheat. They wouldn't work in my colander method because they are too small. I needed something without the holes for them to fall through. Here is what I did and what worked.

In this jar I sprouted some buckwheat. I took one of my half gallon jars I use for my kefir and made a make shift mesh lid. The store I went to charged around $15 bucks for a mesh lid. Ridiculous. I went to the store and bought one of those fine mesh lids to go over a fry pan for about $4 and cut out some circles. I could get several out of the lid. I am sure I could find something even cheaper if I wanted to drive around more. The metal mesh lid fit right into the band. I screwed it onto the mason jar. 

With smaller grains, you don't soak overnight. Just and hour or two. After you soak, you want to drain and rinse a few more times. Some of the smaller grains, like quinoa and buckwheat get a little slimy so you want to rinse them until the slime is gone. 

After you rinse, you tip the jar and let all the water drain. It is best to have it tipped at an angle to let it continually dry but I just drained it well and set it on its side. I would tip it upside down now and then to make sure all the water was gone.

You want to make sure that you don't use too much grains/seeds. I did a little much the first go round but found it worked fine about 1/3 - 1/2 full. You need room for the air to circulate and they will grow when they are soaked. 


Every grain takes a different time to sprout so it will vary. Usually it is about 1-3 days and depends on how much you want it to sprout. If you want green sprouts, it will take longer. You want to rinse it a couple times a day and drain it again. I roll mine around a few times so that the grains get air and rotate  a bit. I didn't let mine get to the green stage because I was going to dry them for flour. All the grains I did were done in 1-2 days tops. I did them just until the white sprout appeared and was about 1/8 inch long. 


The quinoa and millet were even smaller so after I let them soak and put them in the jar for 1/2 the day, I decided to spread them out a bit so they could get a little more air. Think I put a little too much in the jar. 

I took a pizza pan, the ones with the holes on the bottom and lined it with a cheese cloth. I put the moist grains on the towel and then covered them with another cheese cloth that was a little damp, barely. (You could use any thin towel). I set the pan on top of a colander for height and air exposure. I kept it slightly moist for the next day or two and they sprouted perfectly. You don't want them soggy, just not dried out. 


I did my millet the same way but when it was sprouted, I used it in smoothies and recipes. Millet is the only alkaline grain so it is perfect this time a year for an acidic, sick body. Since germs are everywhere right now, I figured we could use a boost. Millet is very mild so it is well hidden. The sprouting made it soft so you didn't have such a crunch effect going. 


All in all, sprouting has been easy as can be. It is funny how it takes you so long to want to try something out then you realize how simple it really is.


Sprouting is so very important for our grains. It unlocks the true potential of our food. It gives it a sort of super power that is kept hidden until the enzymes are released through sprouting. In turn, it will give us super powers.  Who doesn't want super powers? Me. I could really use some. I am a bit sleepy. 16 preschoolers will be here in the morning for some valentine fun. We are making sugar cookies, millet style. Don't tell them. 


Speaking of preschoolers, I have 4 slots opened for my 3 year old preschool next year beginning in August. AM and PM classes. I also have a few slots for my June only class on Tuesdays. Email me for details. 

Keeping Private , Private.

Many of us live in this bubble of a world where we think nothing is going to happen to us. However, truth is, it does and it happens everyday. You need to be careful out there with keeping your private info private and that means taking a few precautions. Yes, if someone is really wanting to find you, they probably will but there are ways to make it a little harder.


    First, taking photos with your smart phones and putting them on facebook can tell someone exactly where that picture was taken. So, take a picture of your child at school, blog about how cute they are by name and post it.  Bam! You just gave someone your child's name and school where they can be picked up at. Also, whatever info you put out there on the internet is out there forever so watch what you say and what you post. This is especially true for our teenagers who will have employers checking out there facebook account.


     Another new website that is scary as can be is Spokeo.com. Go check it out and type in your name. It will tell your address, phone number, age, price of house, income , satellite view of your house and any photos you have posted to facebook. Take a look. It will freak you out. You can remove yourself from this list by copying the http code up top and clicking on privacy at the very end of the Spokeo website. It will tell you what to do from there. I know there are other sites like this but this is one of the more detailed ones I have seen. 


     Another thing that amazes me is when people post pictures on their blogs of their naked children. Sure, a newborn is cute but any child older than that is material for pedophile sites. Happened to a friend of mine. She found some weird link from her blog and when she clicked on it, she found a pedophile site and her child was right there on the page, in his birthday suit. Real stuff.


     Be careful. This is a new age of media and we need to safeguard our children. Educate your teens so they won't end up with a lifetime of a mess to deal with from dumb things they posted. Or, even scarier, ending up with a creep at their doorstep looking for them. 


     Can we just go back to the 50's please? Yikes.

A & I info for allergies and super deal on oil pack.

I placed the orders and I will have them in mid week. I order almost weekly so if you forgot, just shoot me an email.


I wanted to make sure all you new A & I customers knew what to do when you first start taking the pills. The back will tell you about how much to take with a loading dose. If your allergies are bad right now, you want to start with the loading dosage and use the acute dosage until they are under control. Don't just take 1 pill now and then and expect your systems to be calmed down. Load it up and when it is calm, you can back off. I stuck to the loading dosage for a while until my system calmed down and now I rarely need them. The key with all natural allergy healing is that you must work on making the body not an allergic host. A & I does that. But, you must be diligent and it will pay off. 




As I was about to order oils, I saw a super deal on some of my favorite oils. You can get a "staph pack" which is the best oils for killing bacteria and viruses. You get Defense, Guardian, Spice for life, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree for $100. If you order them individually, you would pay $146! Defense and Guardian are super blends to kill all sorts of bacteria and fungus. Guardian is also great for yeast issues and nail fungus. If you want more info on the oils, check them out on my link for Be Young. My prices are lower than what they advertise so just ask me for prices. I will order more oils on Monday if interested.

The Whole Plant and Nothing But the Whole Plant.

     Not sure if it was the frost or what, but my broccoli is in a sad state this year. The heads are about the size of a baseball, at best. If you really look at the cost and labor it took me to grow this one very small stalk of broccoli, I really am in the hole. However, I have vowed that we will eat the whole broccoli plant and not just the itty bitty head on top. It is all edible; we just waste so much of it.

     The leaves: They taste much like kale and behave the same way. You can throw them in with your smoothies or toss them in your soup. I put them in with my Zuppa Toscano soup (recipe here) and enjoy them daily in my green smoothie.

     The stalks: You can eat these in all sorts of ways. You take the stalk and use a veggie peeler on it to remove the tough outer skin. Then, you can slice in any way. My favorite way is to use a fine julienne grater to make it into a broccoli slaw. Throw it into salads, soups, stir frys, etc. 

     The heads: You all know what to do with this part. I am sad that I won't have an abundance of broccoli this year since I love to stock up on my broccoli pesto. (recipe here). I also love broccoli soup and roasted broccoli with garlic and herbs in the oven. My kids love it as well. There are so many ways to serve it up. Maybe next year will be a little better. Last year I couldn't use it up fast enough. This year I will have to stretch it to make it until it is out of season. So sad. 

     Here was last years crop; just one days picking!