Soaked Oats WORKED!

Oh my, I am SO EXCITED!!!! Soaking the oats for 24 hours then cooking them up super fast this morning worked!  Each boy was full after only ONE bowl.  I couldn't believe it.  AND, they each said they LOVED the oatmeal.  I'm so happy that they like something that's quite healthy for them.  Are you intrigued?  Do you have insatiable appetites to fill?  Are you wanting to improve the food you eat?
Here are a couple of resources that I have read:
Some excellent info at Momnivore's Dilemma blog--she's got several great posts about nutrition
Soaking Grains at the Kitchen Stewardship blog--she's also got several recipes there too
There are many more out there including a book, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
When I asked Nicolette of Momnivore's Dilemma for some resources about soaking grains, she recommended a few other blogs:
Nourished Kitchen
Food Renegade
Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Cheeseslave
I haven't made my way through those blogs, but I bet there's plenty of great info to read there.

Quick Soaked Oatmeal

Adapted from Kitchen Stewardship*

In a pot, combine about 1 cup of water (bring this water to a boil in the microwave first), 1 cup of oats, and a bit (I just used the cap so it was about 1/2 teaspoon) of Bragg apple cider vinegar. 

I bought the medium sized bottle at Target for about $5.  This stuff is incredible!  Check it out.

Leave the lid off for a couple of hours so that the chlorine from the tap water can evaporate.  Cover the pot and leave it alone.  You want the oats to soak for about 24 hours.
Just before cooking, add about a cup more water to the pot. (I didn't measure any of my water or oats, just threw it together.)  Bring to a boil and stir for a few minutes--3-5 min.  Serve.  That's it!  So fast. 
Can serve with dried fruit, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, etc.

*I needed to keep our dairy free.  At that link she explains some of the reasoning and science behind soaking the oats.

Beet Chips

I've bought beet chips a handful of times.  They are a family favorite, but I felt like I could make them myself and save some money.  While grocery shopping I spotted some beautiful beets and had to pick them up!

So, I looked up several different recipes for them and found out they are super easy to make and taste just like store bought (better in my opinion!)  Side note--while looking up various recipes for beet chips I came across 2 great food blogs that are new to me.  They are Fix Me A Snack and Natural Noshing.  Definitely worth checking out!  Okay, back to the beets...Beet chips really don't require much hands-on time, but can take a little while in the oven.  You don't need any special kitchen equipment, although a mandolin would be nice, to make these.  I don't own a mandolin, but I do have a sharp knife and it worked out great.  You'll want an apron on too since the beet juice can stain your clothes.  Your fingers will turn pink, but a quick soap and water wash takes care of the pink.

Beet Chips
Ingredients
Fresh beets (I prefer the organic ones as opposed to risking some of the GMO possibilities)
Olive oil (spray is preferred)
Coarse sea salt (optional)
Directions
Heat your oven to 350
Scrub the beets and cut the root tip end off and discard it.  If your beets come with all the greens on them too, just trim these off (you can saute or stir-fry the greens if desired) a few inches above the beet.  These stem parts become a great handle while slicing the beets.
Use a sharp knife or mandolin to thinly slice the beets.  Try to get each slice as even as you can and to be about 1/8 inch thick.  If using a knife, just go slow.

Spread the beet slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Lightly spray the beet slices with the olive oil and sprinkle some salt on them.  If you wish, you can flip them over and spray and salt the other side as well.  If you don't have olive oil spray, just toss the slices in a bowl with a bit of olive oil.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on them.  You want to see them change from deep red to light pink in color.

The length of cook time depends on how thinly you cut them.  Some of mine were closer to a 1/4 inch and these took significantly longer--closer to 30-35 minutes.  As they turned pink I removed them from the cooking sheet to cool and left the others to continue cooking.  I did have to cook something else before the beets were done, so I just set them on the stove while the other dish cooked then I put the beets back in the oven.  They still turned out great!

Saturday Sharing

There are so many absolutely wonderful, creative,and inspiring blogs out there.  I thought I'd spotlight a few of my favorite current reads.

First up is Centsational Girl

Kate's got fabulous before and afters...many have tutorials so you can learn how to do the same.

Look what she did to this piece for her office:

Simply amazing!

There are decorating ideas aplenty, some recipes, gorgeous photos (she lives in northern California and often has beautiful photos of the vineyards), and so much more.

Next up is another daily read, Clover Lane.

Sarah's blog is inspirational to me for parenting perspective (she's got 5 kiddos).  She writes so authentically that I feel as though we are sitting in the same room having a conversation.  Love that! Her posts make me laugh out loud, bring tears to my eyes, and make me feel like I'm not the only mom going through similar things with my family. Sarah also has organizing and decorating tips.

Lastly for now, is Life in the Fun Lane.

I adore this blog for the furniture redos.  Holly has a beautiful classic style and gets most of her pieces from thrifting. Take a look at her daughter, Wren's, room.  Also, I fell in love with her WhiteBerry shop and find it inspiring my work.

I've got many more, but think I'll save them for next week.
Happy New Year!

Fun New Blogs

I've found some fun new (to me) blogs that I just have to share!  I love it when I stumble upon new inspiration, great pictures, wonderful tutorials, new stories.  It's like making new friends :)

So, first up is Noodlehead.  I've read her blog a handful of times in the past couple of weeks and I'm really enjoying it. This week she's been posting about sprucing up your kitchen.  Tonight (children willing) I'm going to make the pretty dish towels/mats.  I've got a couple of towels that are begging to be cut up and made pretty again.
Next, is Fly Through Our Window. Great photography, tutorials, stories. Real life :)
Also, A Pretty Cool Life is a fun read with plenty of eye candy too.  She's got a Flickr group as well as an Etsy shop that's definitely worth checking out.
Lastly, 33 Shades of Green...what can I say? She's got crafting, cooking, and designing all in one place. 
Wait, one more~Little Bit Funky~I've read SO MANY pages here, but must remember to turn the volume down when I'm reading at night.  She's got a heading at the top of her blog called 20 Minute Crafter.  Seriously 20 minute crafts. So perfect for those of us working during nap time, late at night, or in between everything else going on in life. 
Take some time and have fun reading and being craftily inspired!