Dexter Cows

 Susie Q and Buffy

Maude before she had Black Jack

Billy (In the freezer)

Little Black Jack 2 weeks old

Madeline 

Itty Bitty and her calf Katie

That completes the new herd of Dexters!! We really do love them.  They are easy to keep!

Catching up

WOW!!! I've been gone a loooooong time! Since February my blog has been silent!  I'm so sorry.  I'm not really sure if I even have any readers left or had any to begin with! I'm a bad blogger.  I blame Facebook!  So I guess it's time to catch up!  So let's go waaaaaaaay back to February..............

• My son Dean started dating a wonderful girl, Rachel in January.
• Dean and Rachel became engaged around Easter. Yay!!!!!! Very exciting! (Photo's above)
• I started my journey on having 12 amalgams removed in April, and what a process!! I'm glad it is done and that poison is out of me!!!
• We bought a herd of Dexter cattle.  7 of them to be exact.  I'm not sure if that qualifies as a "herd" but it does around here!
• We bought two new piglets to raise and sent the three from last fall to the butcher. Love having organic/nonGMO pork, beef and chicken! 
• We had a wedding in June! Dean and Rachel!
• Our third arrow, David, started interning at a local vet clinic.  He is doing what he loves and is awesome at it!
• I had my garden planted by the end of the first week in June and it has done amazing!!! I'm so thrilled with it.
• The first of July I started my detox to rid metals and other toxins from my body.  It ended in 21 days and I made it the whole 21 days without cheating!! 
• We received 153 freedom ranger chickens, raised them and processed them ourselves with our own equipment.   
• Our 4th arrow, CC decided to raise Nigerian Dwarf Goats and bought her first little buck....Hudson, named after Rock Hudson of course!
• We bought her, her first little doe.....Fran, named after "The Nanny".
• She then bought Fran's mother, Fern and we are currently milking her.
• We bought Fern's sister, Onyx and are waiting for the arrival of her twins!!
• Somewhere in the middle of all this we took on two adorable little kittens, brothers, Harry and Marv, named after the two hooligans from Home Alone, one of CC favorite movies! They are a hoot to watch! Aptly named!
• We currently finished putting up hay! The most wretched job of farming as far as I'm concerned!

I've canned a few quarts of beans and chicken broth and froze some peas, pea pods, zucchini, blueberries (bought), and some parsley.
So that is it in a nut shell!

The daily doings....

I have been finding organic baby kale at the local grocery store and it's now one of my favorite things to use!  I think when I grow Kale next year I am going to pick it early! I put it on and in EVERYTHING!

I make kale and parmesan cheese omelets quite frequently around here.  We usually eat them with some fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit or some of the summer peaches I canned last year.

I put one of our Freedom Ranger chickens in the crock pot this morning.  I added a sliced lemon, lots of pepper, salt, and garlic!

I love the crock pot!! Kitchen stays clean all day and I don't have to think about dinner again until I put it on a plate!!

I made another 2 quarts of yogurt today! I am getting ready to try a GAPS cheesecake!

This is what I use to make my yogurt.  

Two new products I picked up at the health food store yesterday.  The carrots are AMAZING!

I juiced again!  I would really like to say I do this everyday, but I don't! 

This is our cleanse/detox juice!

Daily detox

As part of our eating plan, we drink carrot/parsley juice almost everyday.  

GAPS Strawberry Short Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits 

2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter

4 Tbsp honey, divided

1/4 cup yogurt

1 egg whisked

Heat the oven to 310.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the almond flour and soda in a large bowl, add the butter in pieces and mix until it resembles coarse meal.  Add the honey, yogurt and egg. Stir until dough forms.

Separate the dough into 6 equal balls and form into 3 inch rounds 3/4 inch thick.

Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 min.

Remove from the oven and cool.

I used coconut whip cream and organic frozen strawberries.  I thawed the strawberries and added about a tsp of honey at a time until I liked how they tasted.  I gave them a quick whirl in the blender.

There are several web sites that tell you how to do coconut whip cream, it's really easy and delicious!

GAPS Cranberry Muffins

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these muffins....

Cranberry Muffins

3 Cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups cranberries

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey

3 eggs

Heat the oven to 325. Line a muffin tin with large baking cups

Combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Combine the cranberries, vanilla, honey, and eggs in another bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.

Evenly fill each baking cup with the batter.

Bake for 18-20 min.

GAPS Blueberry Muffins

Acelia is the muffin maker around here!

She does a great job whipping these up...

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup water (If frozen use 2 Tbls.)

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey

3 eggs

Heat the oven to 325. Line a muffin tin with large baking cups.

In a small saucepan, simmer the blueberries with with the water until the berries release their juice and the mixture has thickened slightly. Let cool.

Combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.

Evenly fill each baking cup with the batter.

Bake for 25-30 min.

GAPS Crepes

One of the dishes I miss on this diet is the crepes and berries we used to have for breakfast!

I found this in my Recipes For Healthy Living book and modified it a bit!

Crepes

3 extra large eggs

1/2 cup egg whites

2 Tbsp water

Butter

Honey

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh or frozen fruit (If you use frozen make sure you take out the berries so they can thaw.  I place mine on an oven safe plate and put it in the oven on the lowest setting so they can thaw and warm.)

Before you get started with the crepe mixture, put 1/4 of butter and 1/4 cup of honey, and vanilla  in a sauce pan and warm on the stove over low, then shut it off.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl, and whisk together with the egg whites and water

Grease an 8 inch non-stick omelette pan and place over med. heat. (I used a cast iron skillet)

Pour 1/4 cup of batter in the pan and give it a swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Cook until the egg sets on top.

Flip the crepe over and briefly cook on the second side

When cooked remove and roll, and place on a plate.

Add fruit

Top with Honey/butter mixture

So here is my modification to the recipe......

1. I mixed up the honey/butter/vanilla mixture to go on top of the crepes!

2.  I added just a drop or two of this vanilla bean paste, or you can add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract to the batter.  It makes all the difference in the world!!

GAPS Rainbow Stew

Rainbow Stew

2 lbs. stewing beef cubed

5 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

1 large purple onion, coarsely chopped

One 28 oz can diced tomatoes (we can't have store canned so I used the ones I canned)

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 zucchinis, coarsely chopped

Put the beef, carrots, onion, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large pot, and add enough water to cover the contents.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour with the lid ajar.

Add the squash and simmer for 30 more minutes

Add the zucchini and simmer with the lid off until the zucchini start to look translucent and the stew is thick (15-20 minutes)

Coffee!!!

I started reading a new blog!

The Wellness Mama

I LOVE COFFEE!!! So when I read here that there is a healthy way to drink it, I jumped up and made a cup!!

I like mine hot.....

David likes his cold!

I have to mention that when you are on the GAPS diet, they recommend that if you are going to drink  coffee, make it very weak. 

GAPS Sweet and Spicy Squash Soup

The weather has been frigid to say the very least!! Last night we had 35 below zero with the wind chills.  They animals did ok.  The horses had their blankets, the piglets had their heat lamp and a pile of hay, the cows gathered in one stall and laid down next to each other, and the chickens needed some extra shavings and some warm water to get them going.  It's rough on the animals in this weather and I hate it! On to the soup......

David and I are plugging away on our GAPS diet and doing very well so far......Scott and CC have joined us and now we all eat the same! 

Sweet and Spicy Squash Soup

1 and 1/2 butternut squash, cut lengthwise

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion

6 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

4 cups of water (or organic chicken broth)

3 Tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 375

Place the three squash halves cut-side down in a casserole dish

Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the dish

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the squash pieces feel a bit soft when you press down on them.

Remove the squash pieces from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the seeds.

Scoop out the cooked squash and set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the squash, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, cinnamon, and water, and simmer for 20 minutes on medium heat with the lid of the pot ajar. Stir occasionally.

Remove the lid from the pot and cook for 8 to 10 more minutes

Add the honey and mix well.

Cool for 10 minutes

Puree until smooth

Reheat and serve.

Note:  I never added the honey to ours.  It would have resulted in the whole batch of soup going down the drain!! The squash was so sweet to begin with.  I would recommend that you taste your soup before you add the honey!!

Valentines Day!!!

For Christmas this year, CC and I each opened a small box from Scott.....

I cried when I saw a ticket to see Tony Bennett in Boston on Valentines Day!!

I'm so excited and counting down the days!

GAPS Lemon Meringe

Diet?? What diet???

GAPS Lemon Meringue Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp Honey

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 300 

Place all ingredients in the bowl and mix till it forms a ball of dough.  You can use a food processor.

Flatten the dough into a round disk between two large pieces of plastic wrap and gently roll out the crust into an 11 inch round.  Put the dough, still between the plastic wrap on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, approximately 10 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge. Peel off one side of the plastic wrap. Invert the pastry in the pie plate and remove the remaining plastic wrap. Gently press the dough into the pie plate and up the sides. If it tears apart while you're working, don't worry.  Pinch any holes or tears together with your fingers.

Bake for 10 min. until light brown in color. Set aside.

Filling:

6 egg yolks (Put two of the egg whites in one bowl and the remaining 4 in another)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup butter

pinch of salt

In a double boiler, or in a glass bowl sitting above a pot of boiling water, whisk together the egg yolks, honey, and lemon juice.

Slowly add the butter, a couple of pieces at a time, whisking the entire time.  Add more pieces as the previous ones melt.

After all the ingredients are melted and well blended, cook for an additional 10 min. stirring only occasionally until it thickens.

Cool the lemon curd in the refrigerator.

Beet the egg whites with a dash of salt until they form stiff peaks but are not dry.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chilled lemon curd mixture.

Pour the mixture into the cooled pie crust.

Meringue

4 egg whites

pinch salt

1/4 cup honey

Heat oven to 400

Beat the 4 eggs whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form

Add the honey and beat a little longer until shiny and stiff

Plop the meringue on top of the lemon filling, making sure it touches the crust. Form peaks and mounds as you go.

Bake for 3 to 5 min. (check after 3 min.) until the peaks are golden brown.

Cool and Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

We ate it warm and it was very good, but even better cold!

GAPS Chili

David and I are at a point in our diet where we decided to try some navy beans.  GAPS allows for Navy Beans only.  It is really important how you cook your beans so they are easy to digest.

Put the beans in water overnight and make sure the water is at least 4 inches over the beans

Soak for 8-10 hours or overnight

Drain and rinse in a colander with cool, fresh water

Put the legumes in a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil

As soon as they come to a boil, they'll start to foam.  Remove from the heat, drain, and rinse them again.  At this point, they can be added to soups for further cooking.  To fully cook the beans and store for future use...........

Put the beans back in your pot and cover them with fresh water again.  Boil for 30-45 min. or until they're tender.

Drain and use immediately, or freeze in smaller portions for use in other recipes.

Chili

2 lbs ground chicken or beef

4 onions

3 bells peppers

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

1/4 to 1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves pressed

3 cups navy beans (fully cooked)

One 48 oz bottle of tomato juice

One 28 oz can plum tomato, coarsely chopped

Cheddar cheese grated for garnish

In a large pot with a lid, brown the chicken or beef on medium high heat until cooked through.

Add the onions, peppers, to the pot and cook uncovered for 5 min. until soft.

Add the salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and garlic.

Add the beans , tomato juice, and tomatoes.

Stir until well combined, cover and simmer for 45 minutes over medium low heat

Remove the lid and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with grated cheese.

 Note:  I add some extra zucchini I had! Very good!!

I also sliced some of our bread very thin and popped it into a 350 oven for 10-15 min. until it was crispy.  I served these little crackers with our chili! 

GAPS Seven-Layer Lasagna

Seven Layer Lasagna

1lb. ground chicken or beef

4 cups of mushrooms finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

2 bay leaves

pinch paprika

pinch of red paper flakes

2 cups tomato juice (Only Campbell's is GAPS approved)

6 Med Zucchini peeled and sliced lengthwise into 4-6 slices each

1 lb. provolone cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Before I finish the typing this recipe, I wanted to add my own notes to this.  I used a slightly smaller lasagna pan, not a 9 x 13.  I use two good sized zucchini and not the tiny ones that you sometimes find in the store.  I sliced them with my cheese slicer and they came out perfect.  I guess when they say 6 med zucchini maybe they are thinking of those small ones.  6 med sized zucchini, to me, would have been way too much and to get 4-6 slices each they would have been too thick and over powered this dish.  So I ended up using 2 what I would consider med. sized zucchini and getting 8-10 slices out of each with the cheese slicer.

I would also bump up the meat to another pound, and layered some spinach or baby kale in the dish.  The more veggies the better.

Over all David LOVED this and so did I.  It has lots of flavor just as the recipe is written here, adding more ingredients will just make it even more yummy!!

In a large pot on medium heat, brown the ground chicken or beef. 

Add the mushrooms, garlic, oregano, basil, bay leaves, paprika, and red pepper flakes to the pot and stir well. Continue cooking until the mushrooms cook down.

Stir in the tomato juice and season with salt and pepper.

Turn off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 450

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 lasagna dish with half the zucchini slices. Pour half the meat sauce on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle half the provolone on top of the sauce.

Repeat the layers and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

(I only did two layers)

Bake for 45 min. to 1 hour, until it is bubbly and the cheese on top is crispy and browned to your liking.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 min. before serving.

This is going to be watery because of the zucchini, but the longer you let it sit the thicker is gets. I just served this with a slotted spoon and it was fine.

Zucchini-Crusted Quiche Lorraine

Zucchini-Crusted Quiche Lorraine

(Recipe's For Healthy Living)

Crust:

2 Large zucchinis, peeled and grated

1 egg

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Bit of butter

Heat the oven to 350

Gather the grated zucchini in a tea towel and squeeze out all the excess moisture. You should be left with approximately 2 cups.

Mix the zucchini, egg, and cheese together. Press into a lightly buttered 9 inch pie plate.

Bake for 20-30 min, until cooked through and lightly browned around the edges.

Filling:

4 eggs

1 cup of yogurt

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch of nutmeg

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch black pepper

1/2 lb. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained ( I didn't have this so I used fresh baby kale, you could use fresh baby spinach as well)

5 oz of swiss cheese grated

5 oz of grated cheddar cheese

( I didn't use anywhere near this amount of cheese.  I did use both kinds of cheese, but probably 6 oz. total!)

Increase the oven temperature to 450 ( I left mine at 350 and it was fine)

Beat the eggs, yogurt, salt, nutmeg, cayenne, and black pepper just long enough to thoroughly mix.

Place the spinach on top of the cooked zucchini crust

Layer both cheese on top of the spinach.

Pour the yogurt egg mixture on top

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 and bake until the filling is set 20-30 min. Insert a knife in the center if it comes out clean, the filling is set.

OK you can tell I didn't read through this recipe before I started making it! I never turned my oven up and the quiche turned out fine.  I also made the mistake of mixing the kale right into the egg yogurt mixture, it all came out fine. I just sprinkled some cheese on the zucchini crust and poured the egg mixture on top and sprinkled a bit of cheese on the top and volia.......

This was delicious!!  I served this with a salad.

GAPS baking day!!

My almond flour finally arrived and I set to work repacking it for the freezer.

I am well stocked now!

I spent the remainder of the after noon baking for David and I...

I found some really yummy recipes..

Basic Bread

(From Recipes For Healthy Living)

2 1/2 Cups almond flour

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 cup yogurt (make sure it has been cultured for 24 hours)

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

Combine the almond flour, parmesan cheese, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Stir together the butter, Yogurt, and eggs in another bowl.

Add the dry ing. to the wet and mix well. 

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-45 min.

Remove from the oven and cool.  Run a knife along the inside of the loaf pan to loosen the bread before removing from the pan.

Cut into slices and freeze portions for easy future use.

Butter Pecan Cookies

(From Recipe's For Healthy Living)

2 Cups Almond flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Cup chopped pecans

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup honey

Heat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the almond flour, cinnamon, salt, soda, and pecans in a bowl.

Combine the vanilla, egg, butter, and honey in another bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.

Drop heaping 2 tablespoons sized portions of the batter about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 min. until cookies are lightly browned.

Another batch of yogurt and more yummy recipes ahead!!