Baked Nut Butter, Banana and Blueberry Oatmeal...YUM!

My sweet friend Jeni is pregnant...with her FIFTH baby(!!), and like most newly pregnant mamas she has not been feeling great. On top of being nauseous and being a mom to four kids and homeschooling and on and on, her husband had to unexpectedly go out of town. So, after some forcing convincing, she allowed me to bring her and the kids some dinner. Since mama was having a hard time eating much I decided on some good old oatmeal! Kids love oatmeal and it's easy on the belly, exactly what a pregnant mama needs. Also, this meal is made with good protein: milk and eggs, and good fat: grass fed butter, and nut-butter, so it is a well- balanced meal.

Now I stated before, we try to eat as much whole, unprocessed food as possible and while there are a trillion upsides to this type of diet the one (unfortunate) downside is the cost. So, when planning meals during the week I try to balance our food budget by throwing in some meatless options, like eggs, beans, coconut flour pancakes and oatmeal. And while regular oatmeal with all the toppings is a kid favorite around here, baked oatmeal is a more adult favorite!! It's super easy, in fact you probably have all of these ingredients in your house right now!

Baked Nut Butter, Banana and Blueberry Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 3/4 cups milk (preferably raw or low pasteurized, non-homogenized)
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
2 bananas
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) divided
2 tbsp grass fed butter, softened
1/2 cup nut butter (almond, cashew, peanut, etc)
1/4 cup raw honey

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 2 quart baking pan with either butter or coconut oil. Slice bananas and lay in the pan, top with 1/2 of the blueberries. Mix all the dry ingredients and pour evenly in the pan. Mix all the wet ingredients and pour over the dry ingredients. Top with the rest of the berries and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with more grass fed butter and raw milk, eat and ENJOY!!

This recipe has been approved by a six year old, two four year olds and a 2 1/2 year old, as well as some Mamas and Daddies!

A Recipe: Someone Else's Recipe

So since Pinterest came into my life, my family has been blessed (my word, not theirs) with trying some new recipes. Now, every mom knows that trying a new recipe can be dangerous. While my family does not like eating the same thing over and over again, I don't like making something new only to have everyone tell me that don't really like it (BOO!) But this recipe I am going to share with you today is a HUGE winner in this house!!

Before we get to the recipe let me share a little bit about the way we eat (or the way I try to get my family to eat).
1. We drink raw milk or at the very least low pasteurized, non-homogenized milk. Since Texas has very little options for raw dairy, the rest of our dairy is organic (which I limit because of the high cost of organic food).
2. We have low to no processed food in the house (the exception is cereal for the Hot Doc. I can't seem to get him to break his cereal habit, and my homemade granola did not go over as well as hoped.)
3. I am completely grain free except for brown rice. The rest of the family eats oatmeal and soaked and sprouted bread (I buy a loaf of Ezekial bread about every two weeks)
4. We love FAT! I cook with Olive Oil, grass fed Butter and Coconut Oil.
5. We eat grass fed and pastured meat.

All of this is done on a budget. The Hot Doc works his General Surgery Resident buns off, but he doesn't get paid like it! We definitely make cuts in other areas to be able to afford higher quality food, but I also try to find recipes that are on the cheaper side! Here are a couple tips:

1. Buy whole chickens.
2. Buy less meat and dairy. The only thing I really don't ration is milk. Don't get me wrong, our raw milk is like gold, and I will definitely make you put your cup back in the fridge if you don't finish it all, but you can drink as much as you want!
3. 1-2 meals a week are meatless. Think eggs and beans. They are inexpensive, good for you and fill you up!
4. Don't buy things made with industrial oils (like, canola, sunflower, safflower, vegetable, etc.), added sugar, high fructose corn syrup or soy. This eliminates pretty much all processed food, including Organic processed food, which is not worth the cost.

Okay, more information than you wanted to know on this Tuesday? My apologies. Here's the recipe!

Photo from Nourished Kitchen

Bacon, Chicken and Green Beans! It's made with Bacon (are you sold yet?), coconut milk (amazing!) and many more wonderful, whole ingredients. Don't be afraid when it tells you to cook your chicken, onions and garlic in the bacon grease. Just make sure you get nitrate and nitrite free bacon (organic if you can afford it, but it's okay if can't) and feel good about feeding your family natural, preservative free, whole food!

Now go to this amazing and informative website, Nourished Kitchen, and get this great recipe for Bacon, Chicken and Green Beans!

Shut Your Mouth Oatmeal Recipe!

In my life, I work on things slowly (you can see this first hand in the amount of laundry that I have each week!)I like to know all my options, have all the information and then ease into commitment. I'm a little commitment shy. In fact I have multiple items of clothing that still have the tags on them. Oh, I wear these things, I just tuck the tag in. I actually rarely take anything back, I just have this weird thing about wanting the "option" to take it back. Well now that my secret shame is revealed, let's move on. I have had an ongoing quest to find the right diet. Not like, a weight loss diet, (although I do believe that there should be a way to eat well and maintain a healthy weight) but rather a way to eat and feed my family that is nutritious and enjoyable. There is an unfortunate amount of information out there. And for a person like me, who needs to know all this information before I make a decision, it usually leads to frustration and no commitment. I believe God gave us food and I believe in His grace he gave us good food, healthful food that tastes amazing. So what is it? I could go through the array of information that I have found, but instead I'll just talk about what is making sense to me these days.  Whole Foods. Organic Foods. Unprocessed Foods. I'm not just talking about fruits and vegetables, I am also talking about meat and dairy and fat. That's right. Good old fashioned saturated fat, found in beef and milk and eggs and BUTTER (isn't it liberating to say? BUTTER!) Now, before you think I'm crazy or decide never to read this blog again, let me clarify a few things. These foods that I am talking about are not the same ones that you may find in your grocery store, instead I am talking about eating grass-fed beef, eggs from free range, organic hens. Drinking low (or no) pasteurized, non-homogenized whole milk, butter, cheese and yogurt. Eliminating foods with preservatives, artificial flavors, hormones, partially hydrogenated oils, processed sugar etc,etc. Now, this post is getting away from me a bit, because I realize there is so much information I could share with you to support what I am writing about, but we don't have that kind of time people! My kids don't nap that long and I have a P90x workout to get to! So I am going to post more information soon, until then go here and read some articles. Also, we are a work in process in my family. I have bought Organic produce, dairy and pantry items for awhile now (HEB is a great place for inexpensive Organic Products, they carry the Whole Foods Brand "Central Market"), we just bought our first gallon of grass-fed, unprocessed whole milk (delicious, by the way!) and are searching for the best organic meat options! Anyway, here's the dang recipe!

Shut Your Mouth Oatmeal!
Soak 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (not quick oats) in 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons organic (or raw) yogurt (cover and let soak overnight, this is going to help with digestibility)
In the morning bring 1 cup water and 1 cup WHOLE organic *coconut milk to a boil (do yourself a favor and when you open your can of coconut milk spoon off the cream on the top and put it in your coffee. To. Die. For.)
Add your Oatmeal, bring back to boil and then reduce heat for 10-20 minutes until finished
Now add some organic (or raw) butter, fruit, organic honey, Cinnamon, whatever your kids like. You can even add 1-2 **eggs and let them cook in (you won't be able to see them or taste them).

It is the most amazing oatmeal you will ever eat. But better yet, is that it is wholesome, good for you and your beautiful kids! And because they are filled up on a hearty breakfast they won't ask you in 30 minutes for a "snack."

*Coconut Oil and Milk is made up of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT)
MCT are easily digested, absorbed, and put to use nourishing the body. Unlike other fats, they put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy necessary to promote healing. (Find more on this subject here)
**Free range, Organic Eggs
Besides providing all eight essential protein building amino acids, a large whole, fresh egg offers about six to seven grams of protein and five grams of fat (with about 1.5 grams of it saturated), which comes in handy to help in the absorption of all the egg’s fat-soluble vitamins. One egg also serves up around 200 milligrams of brain-loving cholesterol and contains the valuable vitamins A, K, E, D, B-complex and minerals iron, phosphorus, potassium and calcium.¹⁰ Choline, another egg-nutrient, is a fatty substance found in every living cell and is a major component of our brain. Additionally, choline helps break up cholesterol deposits by preventing fat and cholesterol from sticking to the arteries.^10,14 So the bottom line is, don’t be chicken about eating eggs, especially the cholesterol-rich yolks! (Find the article here.http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/1537-eat-eggs-and-have-chicken-too)

I'll post some more stuff soon! Until then...EAT UP!