So this last week has been one of learning, and enjoying some of the new techniques and foods that we have assimilated into our diet. At my house, this has meant a little more pre-planning of our meals but we have been eating very well! Here is a review of some changes I have made this week:

• I purchased a water filter. We live in an older home and therefore have more of a chance of harmful contaminates in our water. We have used filters in the past but believed since our water tastes fine, it must be fine. Since we are changing our food habits to become more healthy in body, it was time to make sure the very basic of our physical needs was met in a pure form. I bought a tap mounted model from Costco and am very pleased with it.


• I made chicken stock. Now this isn't something new, however I did make a couple of changes in my recipe. I first roasted a chicken and removed all the meat. Then I put the carcass, skin, everything but the meat back in (with some fresh wing tips from the freezer that I keep for such occasions) with vegetables, a little vinegar (which helps draw nutrients from the bones) and water. I put this all in my crock pot and left it for about 20 hours. Yes twenty hours. This produced a very rich, dark broth that gels nicely (because it draws the gelatin away from the bones which is very good for you). I am pleased with the results and we have already enjoyed the broth in two soups this week. Next time I will try the same thing but use a fresh chicken, not simmer for quite so long and then use the meat for enchiladas... Yum. Some benefits of bone broth are discussed here.

• I soaked my grains and legumes before using them in a recipe. This is something new, but not difficult. For example, in the evening I put in a bowl, 3 cups of thick cut, organic oats(but any variety could be used), 3 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of whey (I have some because we also made cheese this week, but I have also used the juice of half a lemon or a couple tablespoons of buttermilk. It just needs to be an acid). Then I cover and leave on the counter overnight. In the morning the oats have absorbed the liquid. I boil 3 cups of water, add the oats, a couple of cardamom pods opened slightly and some raisins. The oatmeal takes no time at all and is very creamy. When the desired consistency is reached, I add some unsweetened shredded coconut and let sit a minute or two covered. Served with a little milk and honey, or other natural sweetener it really tastes like a treat. My kids love it, but watch out for cardamom pods! I have also soaked flour for muffins and waffles and cornmeal for corn bread. And when I made lentil soup, I soaked the lentils overnight in water. Some benefits of soaking will be discussed soon, but more information can be found here.

• We ate pizza! This is one of our favorite meals and is a weekly tradition. Thankfully we are still able to enjoy pizza on our traditional food challenge and we did! We made a batch of soaked flour pizza dough and topped it with homemade mozzarella cheese (made with a really nice, local non-homogenized milk) and some assorted veggies/meats.

This week I plan on starting a sourdough starter (he he sounds funny) which should take a week and then will try to make sourdough bread. I'll keep you posted!