Crunchy Granola Bars

I am always looking for easy snacks to make that will work not only for Rylan but for Brayden's lunch as well.  Kids love granola bars and it makes Brayden's lunch look more like the other kids at school (he feels left out since his lunch his not filled with prepackaged foods).  I have been experimenting with various ways to make granola bars and finally found a recipe that made a more crunchy bar that held together way better then my past attempts.  It seems to be kid approved because they keep on asking for more!!

Crunchy Granola Bar

2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 cup shredded coconut ( or nuts or raisins)
1 cup palm shortening
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp. coconut nectar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix the oats, flour and coconut in a bowl.  In a pot melt the shortening and add the syrup, sugar and salt.  Heat it to a simmer.  Turn off the heat and add the vanilla and baking soda.  Gently stir.  Pour it in to the oat mixture and mix well.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Press into a greased dish and bake for 15 minutes at 350 F and 10 minutes at 325 F.  Let them cool completely before cutting into bars.

Quick and Easy Biscuits

Nothing melts my heart more then when Ry walks up to me and says "Mom you please make me some yummy biscuits".  It is pretty hard to say no to that.  It makes me thankful for a quick recipes that makes some great biscuits.  The best part about this recipe is that it is customizable to whatever you feel like making.  I have made them plain, chocolate chip biscuits, cinnamon biscuits, garlic biscuits and chive biscuits.  Each time they turn out great and get eaten pretty quickly.

Quick and Easy Biscuits

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup palm shortening
1 cup milk

Add all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  Cut in the palm shortening until crumbly. Add in the milk and mix until a dough forms.  Knead on a floured surface.  Pat the dough down until 1" thick.  Cut and place on a greased baking sheet (I use heart cookie cutters because it makes the kids smile).  Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes.

Egg Crackers

Ry loves his crackers.  He loves anything fresh out of the oven.  I wanted to try and replace items in the house that we would have previously bought before the allergy.  Crackers are a great thing to have in the house so I have been experimenting to see which ones turned out the best and got gobbled up the fastest.  These ones are by far the best and are great for parties as dipper crackers.

Egg Crackers

2 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Beat the eggs in a bowl.  Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt until a dough forms.  Knead the dough until smooth.  Roll out on parchment paper to 1/8" thick.  Cut into squares and place on a baking sheet.  Prick the crackers with a fork.  Sprinkle with additional salt.  Bake at 400 F for 5 minutes.

Basic Beef Broth

When you start the GAPS diet no tells you how much you will need broth and in our case how much beef broth we would need.  They also fail to mention that your crock pot will quickly become your best friend.  I have honestly never used my crock pot as much as the last several months and I am truly thankful for it.  I also discovered that it makes awesome broth!!

You can use this recipe for any meat but since we have more safe beef then anything else the recipe is for beef broth.  This recipes makes a lot of broth and I end up turning it all into soups and stews but if you are not on GAPS then you can freeze it and use it as needed.

Basic Beef Broth

1 1lbs roast, defrosted
Water to fill crock pot
1 tbsp. coconut vinegar
salt and pepper

Place everything into the crock pot and allow to cook on low for 12 hours.  (I usually put mine in over night so it is ready to do food prep in the morning).

In the morning I shred up the meat and use in soups and stews and then use up the broth.

 

 

 

Apple Cider Vinegar

For two years we had been using Bragg's ACV and then the company changed their bottle and Kevin and Rylan started reacting to it.  Since we can not do white vinegar the apple cider vinegar was a staple in our house.  This meant yet another item I needed to learn how to make.  For some odd reason I had it in my head the making my own vinegar would be this impossible task. So I was pleasantly surprised when I successfully made my first batch of apple cider vinegar without a lot of work on my part.  I would recommend to anyone to make their own vinegar because it is so worth it.

Apple Cider Vinegar

3 apples chopped (no stems)
3 tsp sugar
filtered water

Place the chopped apples into a mason jar and add the sugar.  Cover with the water.  Place cheesecloth over the jar and place on a jar ring.  Store the jar in a warm dark place for 2 weeks.  After the two weeks strain out the liquid into another jar and recover with the cheese cloth and jar ring for 2-3 weeks.  After that you can put a lid on or an oil dispenser.

Cabbage and Beef Stew

It has taken me 2 years of convincing but I finally got my hubby on the GAPS diet to heal his gut.  His quality of life was rapidly deteriorating and the amount of safe foods that he had available to eat was down to 12.  There needed to be a drastic change and quick to ensure that he could turn his health and life around.

The GAPS diet is a strict diet but is yielding amazing results for Kevin.  He got on board pretty quick when he started to feel good and has been pretty happy with the foods I have been making for him.  One if his favourites is the cabbage and beef stew.

Cabbage and Beef Stew

1 small beef roast cooked in water in the slow cooker for 12 hours (shredded)
1 head of cabbage chopped
4 leeks chopped
6 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves crushed garlic

Place all the ingredients in a pot and cook for 15-20 minutes until  the vegetables are soft.

Fermented Veggies

My husband started the GAPS diet in Jan 2015 and it landed me in a world of food prep that I have never been in before.  The diet is basic and simple but requires a lot of prep and a lot of cooking.  Some days I am not sure how I get it all done but there always seems to be food to eat.

One of the staples of the GAPS diet is fermented vegetables.  The vegetables create natural probiotics that help repopulate the gut flora.  My husband eats them before every meal and snacks on then during the day.  After making 10 jars of fermented cabbage he was getting pretty bored so I started mixing it up.

Fermented vegetables are pretty easy to do and are an affordable way to get probiotics in your diet.  All the fermented veggies use a basic brine solution.  I make all my vegetables in quart size jars.  I dissolve 2 tbsps. of pink Himalayan salt in water and pour in the jars.

Fermented Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash peeled and chopped (reserve a piece of the peel)
2 sprigs of fresh sage
Basic Brine

Pack the jar with the sage and squash.  Fill with the basic brine and place the peel piece in the top of the jar.  Seal the jar and place in the pantry for three days.  Each morning bump the jar to release the pressure.  After three days place it in the fridge.  Enjoy the squash after 2-3 weeks.

Ginger Carrots

2 lbs of carrots peeled and chopped
1 small piece of ginger
Basic Brine

Peel the carrots and slice with the food processor.  Peel the ginger and slice in the food processor.  Back the carrots and ginger into the jar and fill with the basic brine.  Place the jar in the pantry for three days, bumping the jars each day.  After three days place the jar in the fridge and enjoy in 2-3 weeks.

Kimchi

1 head napa cabbage chopped
1/2 pound of turnip peeled and chopped
1/2 pound of carrots peeled and chopped
1 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
4 green onions chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 chili pepper chopped

I placed all the ingredients in the food processor and chopped them finely.  Pack it into the jars (this recipe will make 2-3 jars).  Pour in the basic brine and place in the pantry.  Bump the jars every day for 3-5 days and then place in the fridge.  The longer it sits in the fridge the richer the flavour gets.