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The Online Magazine FOR and ABOUT Southside Virginia |
3/29/2024 |
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Eating Healthy - Part 1Eating Healthy with Eight Children
By Liz Smith When my husband, Rick, and I moved our growing family from a bustling suburb of Greensboro to the rural Piedmont to take the over the reins of our country market, I had no idea what was in store for us. My idea of home cooking at the time was whipping up a batch of Bisquick pancakes. Not only did we eat packaged, processed food, but I blissfully, blindly chose the stuff with the most fat and sugar � you know, the kind the kids think tastes the best. In my defense, I was raised eating German faire that was mostly bland and can only remember five or six dishes that my mother routinely prepared - five or six dishes that I absolutely detested. But RC Cola, Kool-aid, Spaghettios , and Froot Loops flowed freely from our pantry and I was allowed to substitute as much as I wanted. So, you can imagine, I started my wifely, motherly role in an uphill battle. I�d like to share in this series of articles my journey of learning how to nutritionally care for my brood of eight. (Yes, I have eight children and yes, I know what causes it. Many years ago Rick and I gave up �control� of this part of our lives to the Lord.) What I�ve discovered in the last six years or so, and what I am trying to teach my children, is that eating healthy can be fun, entertaining, sometimes daring, but most of all, binds us even more as a family. Whole Wheat Flour - While we still lived in our �1/3 of an acre but the house takes up most of the yard� fancy subdivision, I did buy an electric grain mill and a Bosch Universal Mixer, and got ready to take on the world of whole wheat bread-making, but rarely made the time for it. What�s more, I really didn�t know what to do with all that �extra grain� sitting around. It took a very long time for me to realize that whole wheat flour can, and should be, substituted for over-processed, nutritionally depleted white flour in a vast variety of recipes. Many folks use half white and half wheat, but I�ve found that after a time, my family didn�t even miss the white flour in their pancakes, waffles, or muffins. Some of my children whose weakness is baked goods still do ask once in a while for the �white bread� from our store, an Amish Sourdough Bread, but my resolve has strengthened since reading the book, �Moses Wasn�t Fat� by Tom Ciola, which reads, �refined carbohydrates [such as white flour, white sugar, and white rice] have been stripped of all their original God-given nutritional benefits. In their place, the manufacturers have added back a handful of synthetic vitamins and minerals. Such low nutrition, low fiber foods are simply going to give you lots of empty calories thus contributing to your weight problems.� I don�t want my children to inherit the weight problems I�ve dealt with for my entire life, so starting them off early on good nutrition, and teaching them why we eat the way we do, will ensure they continue the habit throughout their adulthood. As a result, they read labels at the grocery store and tell me how much sugar or salt a product contains. Frequent conversations at the dinner table revolve around what kind of vitamins or minerals are in the foods we�re eating and how those help our bodies. I did discover early on that freshly-ground flour with a grain mill, electric or manual, is the best you can get nutritionally; the bran, middlings, wheat germ, and wheat germ oil, where virtually all the goodness of the whole grain resides, is retained. You sacrifice all these for the unlimited shelf life in store-bought white flour. Commercially milled wheat flour is only marginally better - the wheat bran is retained but has been stripped of the wheat germ and oil. (Freshly milled flour can be refrigerated up to seven days or frozen for up to three months and still retain most of the nutrition.) My three- and six-year-old sons love adding grain to our mill and watching until each and every grain goes down through the hopper! I have also learned that in addition to wheat flour, several other flours could be substituted for variety, depending on what is being prepared. Now, buckwheat pancakes are a staple for weekend breakfast (or, sometimes a quick weekday dinner when I�m unprepared) and up to a � cup of almond, barley, or millet flour can easily substituted for wheat flour in many recipes. (Almond flour can be expensive so try grinding some at home with your food processor using fresh, sliced or whole raw almonds.) But even if you only replace white flour with whole wheat, you�ll be doing your body a great favor, and it can start you on the road to nutritional recovery. In my next article, I�ll let you in on my little motherly secret � how I hide the good things which normally turn up picky noses.
Honey Wheat Bread Makes 6 loaves; freezes well This is a recipe is from an old friend. I�ve been baking this bread for over 8 years. As soon as it comes out of the oven, my kids are waiting with apple butter and knives in hand!
About 16 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (I recommend Prairie Gold wheat for a lighter loaf than traditional Hard Red, but the same nutrition) Mix first seven ingredients with 5 cups of the flour until well mixed. Let mixture (this is the sponge) stand until bubbly - at least 15 minutes but not more than 30. Resume mixing, adding flour 1 cup at a time until the sides of the bowl start to clean. Begin kneading time when sides of bowl are just about clean. Knead for 7-9 minutes (closer to 7 if using a Bosch mixer). Place dough on a clean oiled surface and form loaves. Place loaves into oiled pans and cut 2 diagonal lines into top of loaves. Let rise 30-40 minutes. Whole wheat will not rise a lot when baking, so allow loaves to rise nice and high before baking. Bake at 350� for 25-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove loaves from pan and place on wire cooling rack with a light towel covering loaves. Variation: Crunchy Grain Bread - add 1/3 cup Millet, and 1 cup multi grain flakes to the first 8 ingredients (add during sponging).
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Liz Smith, with her husband Rick, own and operate Yoder's Country Market. As the mother of eight children, Liz has learned a lot about eating healthy without breaking the bank. Operating an "Amish-Style" market which specializes in nutritious bulk and whole foods has given Liz a unique outlook and education. Yoder's Country Market is an Amish-style bulk food store located in nearby Caswell County, NC., just minutes away from central Southside Virginia. Visit Liz, Rick and Yoder's Country Market online at www.yodersmart.com. __________
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