Frugal Whole Wheat Corn Waffles

Whole Wheat Corn Waffles
I have a new favorite waffle recipe! If you have a grain mill you can grind your wheat berries and corn for delicious waffles. If you don’t have a mill use a combination of white and whole wheat flour plus cornmeal. The waffles will still be great.
From the Happy Housewife

Recipe: Whole Wheat Corn Waffles
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
4 cups of milk
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 oil
Instructions
Mix together milk, eggs, butter and oil.
Add brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Mix in cornmeal.
Slowly mix in flour. If you are using white flour you will need to add a little extra or reduce the amount of milk in the recipe.
Cook on a hot waffle iron.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 5 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 12

These waffles are great reheated the next day or stored in the freezer. Just reheat in the toaster.

 

Eating Whole Foods on a budget

We are not an organic family. The term I like to use for the way we try to eat is whole foods. We do not want to be deprived of nutrients by eating processed foods that have been stripped of must of their nutritional content. What this means is we avoid eating whole wheat, raw sugar, raw honey, drink raw milk,  eat our farm eggs and try to avoid processed foods at every turn. In some areas I am much better then in others we are still working on a less processed lunch menu for during the week. Needless to say we have not arrived at eating perfection :)

 

So on to the topic I wanted to write about, which is eating whole foods on a budget. One of two reasons we are not die hard organic Nourishing Traditions/Food Rebels kind of family is the cost! Simply put when we tried it last year we were hungry and our food budget was nearly 30-50% more then it had been previously.

 

So I became a Compromise Eater (a term from Nourishing Traditions(NT)) but even to do this we had to find ways to reduce the overall cost of whole foods. I have heard many people say that it is less expensive or it costs about the same to eat food of poor quality as it is to eat healthy. That my dear is a lie from the devil! It is more expensive to eat healthy food!

So here are a couple of things we have done to stay within our grocery budget.

1. One thing I have done is to slowly buy many of our staples in bulk. We buy our foods from Village Foods and we receive a 10% discount on the bin price when you buy an entire bag/box of an item. So for example our whole wheat pastry flour is .89/# and I pay about .80/#  by buying in bulk. I buy about 25# at a time and I buy flour once a month for $20.05. We do the same with steel cut oats, brown rice, raw sugar, Redmonds natural sea salt all of these items we usually only buy 2-5 times each year.
2. Another thing I do is buy items we use a lot of such as Olive Oil in bulk at Sam's Club. I already know I cannot afford to pay for the Raw Natural Olive Oil. But since Olive Oil is by far the oil I choose to put into our food the most. Other things we buy at Sam's: yeast, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, maple syrup, nuts & pices. So don't give up if you cannot afford 'Raw' just move on to the next best choice you can afford. It is, however, rather annoying that raw things cost more. One would think since you do not have to process an item it would be cheaper but apparently not! Oh well, maybe one day the price will come down!
3. The final thing we have done is look for ways to buy things you want at a more economical price for instance we are going to be buying some cocunut oil from Mountian Rose Herbs in the next two weeks. It's much cheaper to buy it in bulk then it is to buy the dinky little containers most stores have.

 

The Lord knows how much money we is on our grocery budget and he has streched my money on more then one occasion! My prayer is that you would leave this post encouraged and more able to cook whole foods for your family, (if that's God's will for you) on your budget.

Here is a hearty recipe we like around here utilizing left over rice :

Rooster Hill's Whole Wheat Rice Pancakes (serves 6)

• 2 cups leftover Cooked Rice, white or brown
• 3 cups buttermilk (or yogurt or soy yogurt)
• 3 cups white or whole wheat flour or half each
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice(optional)

 

Put the rice in a large bowl and mash it with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Then pour onto griddle and make pancakes. This recipes doubles and triples well.

 

Healthy & Thrifty Kitchen: Muffins

I want to encourage everyone in their cooking and feeding your family that you can make tasty and healthy food quickly and within budget. We love muffins but as our morning are so busy I  am grateful for any recipe that simplifies my time in the kitchen.  We usually serve muffins with fruit and a big glass of milk. So today I am going to share one of my favorite mix recipes with you. It is The Hillbilly House Wife's .....

Sweet Wheat Muffin Mix

•8 cups whole wheat flour

•1 cup brown sugar
•1-1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder
•1 tablespoon salt
•1/4 cup baking powder
•1 cup solid vegetable shortening

For this recipe you will need a very large bowl. I have a huge metal one with a few dents that the children borrow for a top spinning game. It is nearly indestructible, although, as I remember it cost over $7 brand new, so it should be.

Measure eight level cups of whole wheat flour into the bowl. Add the sugar, dry milk powder, salt and baking powder. Stir the mixture with clean hands, so that the salt and baking powder are evenly mixed in with the other ingredients.

Next get a one-cup sized measure. Pack shortening into it until it reaches the top. Use a spoon or your fingers to make sure the shortening is firmly packed into the cup without any air pockets. Now use your index finger to level off the top. Your fingers will be very greasy. That is alright, you can wash them later. When you get the top level, use your fingers to scrape the shortening out of the measuring cup, into the bowl of flour. Try to get as much of the fat out of the cup as you can without being obsessive about it.

Now you should have a bowl of dry ingredients with a big glob of white shortening on top. Mash the shortening with your hands. Yes, with your hands (don’t panic . Use your fingers to mush the flour mixture with the fat until it is very crumbly. This part is fun, like you’re a kid again. Mash and mix and mix and mash; contemplate the textures between your fingers. Reminisce about squeezing mud between your toes as a kid. Sigh and relax and enjoy yourself. When the mixture is evenly crumbly, with a few small chunks the size of peas, or dried beans, you are done. Phew, now you can wash your hands.

Scoop the Muffin Mix into a clean coffee can. It will make 12-1/2 cups, or enough to fill a large coffee can all the way full. If necessary, shake or tap the can gently, to pack down the mix, so there is enough room for all of it. The mix may now be stored in the fridge, if you will be slow to use it, or on the shelf in the pantry, if you will be using it within the next 6 weeks or so.


Suggested Directions for how to use the proportions along with some variations to the basic muffin mix

Things we add to the mix for variety: peaches, blueberries, apples & pineapple. Any kind of fruit your family likes would go really well in these things! These are not the super sweet jiffy muffins they have sweetness to them so if your family is used to super sweet muffins it may take a few batches to adjust.We make a large batch of this and keep it in the pantry. As you can see I write the directions on the side of the container so they are always handy. If you are wondering the container is one of those jumbo ice cream containers that we buy for birthday parties. Having this premade mix ready is also really easy for my hubby to make healthy muffins (if I am away) for our family with any trouble.

I hope you find this recipe to be a blessing and an encouragement as you are seeking healthy and thrifty recipes with which to bless your family!

Cooking Through Gooseberry Patch

We started cooking through Gooseberry patch by making Blueberry Coffee Cake. Sam's also had blueberries on sale during the shopping trip I purchased the Gooseberry Patch cookbook. This was excellent. As a bonus this does make a full 9x13 pan of blueberry goodness, so there is plenty to be had by all. I think this would makes lovely addition to any "breakfasty" event. Even with the the 1 cup of blueberries (which I got on sale) this can be an economical breakfast, just wait for a sale on the 1 cup of blueberries needed for this recipe.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2c whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup (honey)sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup raw milk

1 egg

1 cup blue berries

Streusel topping:

1/2 cup pecans chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoon butter

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons raw milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bake at 350* for 40 minutes

Sadly these were so good I failed to take a picture before they were engulfed! Also the the recipe I listed is how I made the Blueberry Coffee Cake and not an exact copy. I am not going to list all the recipes that I use in the gooseberry patch cookbook because you need to buy it. This one is so good it should cause you to run to Sam's club and buy one for your self and a couple more for Christmas. We've already made 3 items from the book and we are looking forward to the rest of the foods we will sample. But I'll end this review now so you can go to Sam's or any near by bookstore, I think you'll like it!

Muffin Monday

No you didn't accidently click on Heritage School House but I just really wanted to share this very tasty use of blackberries! I figured Mrs. H has set the day so why not participate in the event! We eat a hot breakfast everyday except for Sunday so I am always on the hunt for a good recipe and here is one I've found....

Blackberry Muffins Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon milk

2/3 cup sugar (I will use whole honey in the future)

8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla

11 oz of fresh blackberries, cut in half (often available at Trader Joe's ??? I got mine from Barney Phillips!)

(You can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available. All I use are frozen we picked them last year)

Method
1 Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups. (Actually, with the berries you'll have more batter than just for 12 muffins. This batch made 18 muffins.)
2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3 In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.
4 Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.
5 Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.
Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.

from a great blog Simply Recipes

Have a wonderful Breakfast!

Rooster Hill's Banana Raisins Nut Muffins

This is a recipe I modified from the http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/. We love muffins around here and look for any way we can add taste and increase nutrition.

Preheat your oven to 400

2 soft brown bananas mashed

1 cup sugar (or 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 cup Spelnda or 1 cup honey)

1/4 cup oil (or 1/4 applesauce)

1 cup yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or 1 cup wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached white)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup nuts

1/3 cup raisins

optional - 1 tablespoon flax(Optional but if you add it remove 1 tablespoon of flour!)

optional - Big organic sugar crystals

1. Mix bananas until they are almost liquid
2. Then add sugar, vanilla, lemon,oil, milk and salt and mix again
3. Then add the flour, flax and baking powder mix it just enough so that all the ingredients are mixed together.
4. Then add in the nuts & raisins mix it just enough so that all the ingredients are mixed together.
5. put muffin cups in the tin or spray with cooking oil, pour mix into the muffin tin
6. Sprinkle organic unprocessed sugar on top (that gives you those big sugar crystals like at the bakery)
7. cook for 20 minutes

Frugal Eating: Breakfast

Okay, so I have been looking for super cheap meals that taste good. When I ran across this one I was more then skeptical. Because I mean Mush that's what they feed folks in the Orphanage in all of Charles Dickens stories, so it has to be bad! Well, I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted like a corny version of cream of wheat. Everyone in my family really likes it. Yet it costs nearly nothing! I normally serve it with some fruit and we always have OJ & milk with our breakfasts. I got this recipe from http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/:

Corn Mush

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup cold tap water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot tap water

(I (Kyle) always add about 2 Tablespooon to 1/4 cup of molases or syrup!)

In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal and cold tap water. Meanwhile, in a 2 quart pan, combine the salt and hot water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. While the water is heating, add the cornmeal mixed with the cold water. Combining the cornmeal with cool water before adding it to the boiling water keeps the cornmeal from lumping up when it hits the hot water. When the water and cornmeal boil, reduce the heat to low. Allow the mush to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until it is nicely thickened. If your cornmeal is less than fresh, you may add half a tablespoon of sugar to make it taste fresher and sweeter. This is very hearty for breakfast, and also makes a nice snack in the middle of the day. I like it with a little margarine and shredded cheese, but it is equally good with sugar or molasses and milk. This recipe serves 4 to 6 people depending on how hungry they are. Of all the breakfast cereals you can buy, this one is the least expensive. We try to have it at least twice a week, sometimes more often because it is so cheap.