I never made a new years resolution and after an enlightening relief society meeting on Wednesday night I think I've got it. We were discussing nutrition. I have always taken my role as a mother and wife as a "job". Now this may sound silly but it gets me in the mood to do those mundane tasks aka laundry we do as mothers. I feel that if Kevin has to go to work and perform to the best of his ability in his field. So should I. My payoff is the many blessing given by a loving Father in Heaven. Anyway...as I was listening to the sister talk about nutrition she brought up our bodies being like temples. I've heard this since I was in young womens but it struck me that I am responsible right now for not only my body but my children as well. I need to do better at increasing certain things in our diets. I have always felt I have done a good job. We rarely go out to eat (maybe once or twice a month, and thats without the kids) and we only drink pop on special occasions. I make sure we have a vegetable with every meal and I've stopped buying sugary treats like fruit snacks.
I'm not perfect and I know that this will take some time but I am going to start increasing the fiber and fruits in our diets. I also want to decrease the amount of sugar consumed. I like how she referred to sugar as "the new drug for our society" Sugar is in everything. I hope I can stick to this. If any of you have fiber friendly recipes please send them my way.
One thing I'm going to start with is making wheat bread. This recipe is so simple and my kids love it. I may start making it weekly like Kevin's aunt. She does it every week for her family of eleven.
Yummy Wheat Bread
3 Tbs yeast
3 Tbs vital gluten
1 Tbs salt
1/2-1 cup wheat germ
1 cup honey
2/3 cup oil
6 cups hot water
6 cups+ white flour
6 cups+ wheat flour
Instructions:
1 Preheat oven for 200 Combine in bowl first four ingredients.
2 Combine in the mixing bowl honey, oil and water.
3 Add six cups flour to the mixing bowl; mix well. Add yeast mixture. Start timer for 12 minutes. Add 6+ flour till the dough cleans the sides of the bowl (I find it's quite a bit more flour). Continue mixing until the 12 minutes is up. Divide dough into four loaves and place in 4 oiled and sprayed bread pans. Place loaves in oven and set timer for 20 minutes
4 If loaves have risen to just above the rim after the 20 minutes turn oven to 350 and bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness by tapping and listening for a hollow sound; add five minutes if necessary.
5 For softer loaves, immediately turn the bread out of pans and onto a damp kitchen towel. Spritz with water. Allow them to cool and then slice or freeze.
I also want to make homemade granola more often.
8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.
I'm sure it will be baby steps from here but I feel I'm on my way to making my family healthier.
Thankfully my sisters had a box of candy canes from Christmas they let me have. Thats not something you find easily this time of year. If you want to know exactly how to make them check out my friends site.
