This recipe is for baked donuts using donut molds instead of deep frying in hot oil. No need for a candy thermometer or an air fryer… just silicone donut molds and your normal oven.

Sourdough desserts are my new favorite things! Sourdough bread can be hard to get right sometimes and a lot of people give up on baking sourdough when they can’t get the right rise in their breads. I personally don’t make the fancy Instagram loafs that you picture when you hear the term sourdough. Mostly I make sourdough desserts, pancakes, apple fritters, flat bread, cookies, banana breads, muffins the non-rising baked goods. 

The idea of sourdough is to use a ferment dough/batter in your baking for added health benefits. When our dough is fermented it brakes down the grains making them easier to digest as well as making it easier to absorb the nutrition from the grains. Fermented dough also have prebiotics that the bacteria in our gut feed off of also helping us digest not just the bread but everything we eat. 

When we make non-rising sourdough baked goods we mix our sourdough starter, flour and liquids. Let sit on our counter for about 4 hours or in the fridge for overnight. Then we add the rest of our ingredients and bake. The longer you let if ferment (sit on the counter) the healthier the benefits but also the more sough flavor it will get. I don’t mind the sour flavor but some people don’t want to taste that in their desserts. 

Many sourdough recipes for baked goods like these will are considered sourdough discard recipes. The problem with these is that they mix 1/2 or 1 cup of discard to the recipes but don’t let the batter ferment. This will add only a very little amount of the benefits that true fermented sourdough brings.

Ingredients for Baked Sourdough Apple Fritters

Ferment the following ingredients

• Sourdough Starter. If you don’t have a sourdough starter you can buy a starter off of Amazon or learn to make your own. 
• Milk. I you don’t like the idea of having whole milk in your batter sitting on the counter for 4 hours you can use water and add 1/3 cup dry powdered milk to it later. 
• Flour. I use all purpose flour for these apple fritter donuts. You can use a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour but I wouldn’t go all whole wheat flour for this recipe. We want a light and airy texture and that can be hard to accomplish with whole wheat flour. 
• Brown Sugar or Honey. The flavor changes a little depending on if you use brown sugar or honey. Both bring great flavors to our apples fritters donuts so its up to you and what you choose. 
• Eggs. I don’t add the eggs at this stage unless I’m letting them ferment in the fridge. If I fermenting on the counter I will add the eggs later, right before I bake them.
• Coconut Oil. If you don’t have coconut oil around you can substitute with another oil, apple sauce or butter.

Add after fermented

• Chopped Apples. Granny Smith apples are best for this recipe but often I just use what ever apples I have on hand and they all seem to work out. Dice your apples in to small pieces, about the size of a fingernail. For the best apple fritters avoid larger chunks of apple. They make your donuts more crumby and harder to hold together. Keeping them small will help them cook faster and provide the best texture. 
• Baking Soda. Baking soda is our rising agent that will help keep our apple fritters light and airy. the baking soda will react to the fermented dough and create little gas bubbles giving us the desired texture. 
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg. My two favorite spices, especially with apples. the ground cinnamon and nutmeg will give us a warm flavor that pairs perfectly with our apples.  
• Salt. Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.
• Vanilla or Almond Extract. I love almond extract, but its expensive and not many house holds keep it around. Vanilla extract is just as good. If using vanilla use 1/2 a teaspoon. Almond extract can be a bit stronger so only use 1/4 a teaspoon for the apple fritter donuts.

How To Make Baked Apple Fritters

Ferment The Batter

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the active sourdough starter, flour, sugar, milk, coconut oil and eggs together. Cover with a lid, wet cloth or plastic wrap and let sit on a the counter for 4 hours or in the fridge overnight.

Add The Rest of Ingredients

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.
Add the rest of the ingredients, small chunks of apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract, and baking soda.

Pour Into Donut Molds

Pour you apple fritter batter into silicone donut molds. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Note: you can also make this into sourdough apple fritter bread by using a loaf pan instead of donut molds.

Glaze Baked Donuts

Let cool for a couple minutes before taking the donuts out of the molds. Then transfer them to a wire rack. To make your sweet glaze mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or maple syrup. Glaze the donuts and let cool completely.

Sourdough Apple Fritter Donuts

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 4 hours

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 8 minutes

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Ingredients

Sourdough Batter

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 eggs

Add After Fermentation

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 cups diced apples
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, flour, sugar, milk, coconut oil and eggs together. Cover with a lid, wet cloth or plastic wrap and let sit on a the counter for 4 hours or in the fridge overnight.
2. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Add the rest of the ingredients, diced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract, and baking soda.
3. Pour you apple fritter batter into silicone donut molds. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. Let cool for a couple minutes before taking the donuts out of the molds. Mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Glaze the donuts and let cool

The post Simple Sourdough Apple Fritters | Baked Donuts for Kids appeared first on Embracing The Home.

• Meal Planning for a Month Vs. a Week
• How To Meal plan for a Month
  • Start with Base Ingredients
  • Create a List of Family Favorite Meals
  • Meal Plan According the Ingredients You Have
• What Happens When My Schedule Changes?
• Free Meal Planning Templates

Meal Planning For A Month Vs A Week

Most people I know plan weekly meal plans or don’t plan and all. When I was trying to plan my family’s meals a week at a time I kept struggling to actually get it written out done each week. There was always a day or two that I’d be struggling to think of something last minute because I failed and getting a menu plan written out in time. 

January of 2024 I decided to try planning my meals for a entire month. I planned the whole month out and it took so much stress away! I thought that if I had a hard time planning a weekly menu then monthly meals would be worse, but it was easier.

New Recipes

When planning the month I was able to be more consistent and more creative with new recipes with my meals. When meal planning for a week at a time I would find myself trying think of different meals for each week. If we had it last week I though I couldn’t plan for it again the next week because we would get tired of eating the same foods all the time. 

As I planned a month out I was able to see how often I was repeating meals and how often I was adding in new meals more clearly then when I was planning for a week. I no longer felt guilty keeping the same easy quick meals ever Tuesday and Wednesday (our busiest evenings) because I was being more creative on all the other nights.

Staying in Budget

As I meal planned monthly I found I was able to make a more accurate grocery shopping list. I was not longer buying food because we might eat it but because we planned to eat it on a specific day of the week. I was not buying food that would go bad and it reduced my food waste in our house by a lot. 

At the beginning of the month I would plan my meals based off of what foods we had in our house at that time. If we have rice, I made sure it was on the menu. If we have left over chicken or an abundance of potatoes, those foods made it on the monthly menu. Then I would make my shopping list. Going over each meal and making sure I had everything I needed for the entire month on my grocery list. I would brake up the produce into 2 weeks and shop for the second part of the month in another two week to keep fresh produce in the house. 

This planning process kept me from spending money on items that we would not eat. I was also able to plan creative meals using the ingredients we had or that I knew would not be expansive to purchase. Without last minute trips to the local grocery store we have been able to keep our food budget.

How To Meal Plan For A Month

To meal plan for a month may seem daunting. You may be tempted to think you can’t do it because you don’t know what or where you will be on 3 Friday’s from now. Or you might have had a hard time thinking of 7 different meals how am I going to think of 30? 

Here are my 3 tips for for successful meal planing. Plan by base ingredients, create a master list of family favorite meals, meal plan with ingredients you already have.

Plan your meals by base ingredients

The base ingredients are the foundation of your meal. Just to name a few… pasta, rice, potatoes, chicken, fish, ground beef… You can make many different recipes with these bases. For each day of the week I choose a base. (Your list may look different with a lot more meat, we eat mostly vegetarian in our house)

• Mondays – potatoes or soups
• Tuesday – Rice and beans (Taco Tuesday)
• Wednesday – Picnic sandwiches (we don’t eat at home on Wednesdays)
• Thursday – Rice and fish
• Friday – Salads and meat
• Saturday – Random/special meals

Again, I do not stick to this perfectly, I am not a slave to this list. I mix things around all the time but this weekly base ingredient list gives me something to work off of if I can’t think of anything else to make.

Here an example of meals that go with each category or base ingredient.

• Potatoes – Baked potatoes with baked beans and cornbread, Mashed Potatoes with lentil stew, Shepherds Pie, Potato soup…
• Rice and Beans – Tacos, burritos, nachos, bean bowls…
• Rice and Fish – Shrimp stir fry, shrimp scampi, shrimp saganaki (greek dish), balsamic glazed salmon, honey mustard salmon, crispy fried cod…
• Big Salads and Meat – Taco salad, greek salad with lamb or chicken, Italian salad with pizza or chicken, sweet broccoli salad with stake…
• Pasta – Lasagna, spaghetti and meat balls, alfredo, pesto, pasta salad, lemon pasta…

I hope these lists help you see how you can take base ingredients and think of many different meals to eat throughout the month. Keeping it simple with lots of verity.

You can also make a goal is to choose a protein, vegetable and starch/grain for each meal. 

Proteins 

• Meat
• Eggs
• Fish
• Beans

Vegetables

• Broccoli
• Salad
• Green beans…

Starch/Grains

• Breads
• Pasta
• Rice or quinoa
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes 

Add one of each of these three food categories to each day and you will have a healthy meal plan.
examples:
Chicken – rice – roasted broccoli and cauliflower
Pot Roast- Potatoes – Carrots
Ground Beef – pasta – Salad

Create a list of family favorite meals

When meal planning for your whole family its always helps to know what everyone likes to eat. Another list that might be helpful is of what your family does not like. How to you find out your family’s preferences? Ask. When you sit down the meal plan ask your husband and kids what they would like to each this month. Fit their meal ideas in where they make since to you. If you have younger kids who only want pancakes and chicken nuggets for dinner, you can also take note on which meals they finished and what meals are a struggle to finish. If they ask for seconds, its a keeper. 

Here is a list you can download for free of lots of different meal options. Keep this list near your meal planner or on the refrigerator to help you when planning out the month. Once you’ve tried a meal and you notice your kids love it or hate it, rate it on your list. Give it a star, or cross it out. This way the next month you will be able to remember how to bring meals to the table the whole family can enjoy.

Meal plan According To The Ingredients you have

To help you save money, cut down on food waste and get the idea’s flowing for meals, look not to Pinterest, but in your cabinets, refrigerator and freezer to see what you can make with what you have first. Check the back of your freezer, find that bag of frozen green beans or that can of kidney beans that’s been in the pantry for months. Minestrone Soup, perfect, you can use both the green beans and kidney beans in that recipe. 

I’m all about stocking up on bulk items to save money and be prepared. But when you stock up, don’t make the mistake of not using those items. Continue to use what is on your shelf now instead of always buying more just to make what sounds good in the moment.

What happens if my schedule changes?

Its true, we often don’t know everything about our social calendar a month in advance. But planning meals that far in advance is not a hindrance but a help. 

When you plan meals for the whole month we can first look at the family calendar and see what days we know will will be gone for most of the day. There are times when I know we will be out doing one thing or another. So I either plan to meal prep the day before, plan to make extra of something earlier on in the week to eat leftover that day, or plan a slow cooker or crackpot meal. 

But, when something comes up unexpected and your planned meal won’t work for you that specific day, you can trade it with another day’s meal. I first ask myself, “can I make this in the crackpot?” If the answer is “no” I find another meal that is on my plan, that I already have the ingredients for, that will work in the crock pot. 

Another trick I use is to have extra pasta and sauce in my pantry for days when I was unable to make anything in time or when my husband has to make dinner. Quick meals like that, not on your meal plan, is great to have in your pantry when your in a pinch. 

Don’t be a slave to your meal plan. We plan ahead so we have freedom, not bondage to the plan.

Free Meal Planning Templates

Now that you know the benefits of monthly meal planning its time to get organized. Personally I like to use a calendar for my meal planning. I keep it on the side of our refrigerator so everyone can see what’s for dinner. This is super helpful for my husband as he sometimes gets nervous when it looks like I’m making a super healthy meal. He gets to look at the menu and see although we are having lentils today we will be having pizza tomorrow and he has hope. 

Some people keep a binder with their grocery list and chores list in, some people just write out a list on a scrap paper and keep it in the kitchen while other keep the list on their phones. There’s no right or wrong on your own organization preferences. As long as it helps you.

What you must do is write out your full plan. Again, start with whats in your cabinets now, using the base ingredients to come up with a variety of recipes. Don’t be afraid to repeat recipes on a specific day of the week. Pick days you know you will be home all day to try new recipes. Then finally make your grocery shopping list that revolves around your planned menu.

With that being said here are few free printable templates that you might like.

Edit For Yourself in Canva

Monthly Meal Planning List Layout

2025 Monthly Calendar

2025 Monthly Calendar Lined

175+ Meal Planning Dinner Ideas

Ready To Print!

Meal Planning Monthly List

2025 Monthly Calendar

2025 Monthly Calendar Lined

175+ Meal Planning Dinner Ideas

More meal planning tips and tricks

I know I didn’t cover everything on the subject of meal planning so comment below if there more tips or ticks to meal planning that my readers could benefit from. I would love to hear from you all the success you have had in your own meal planning.

The post How to Meal Plan for a Month – Save Money with Simple Meals appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Sourdough waffles are a very simple delicious recipe. I love the flavor the sourdough give my breakfast and it makes me feel good to serve my family gut healthy foods for breakfast/dessert.

Ingredients for Sourdough Waffles

• Sourdough Starter. Fed or unfed sourdough start will work for this recipe.
• Flour. All purpose flour usually makes the sweeter, fluffier waffle. Whole wheat makes the much healthy breakfast and adds that whole wheat flavor that some (me!) like and some (my husband) do not. You can also adjust to a 1/2 & 1/2 ratio with these two flour or keep it 100% either way.
• Water. We will mix the flour, water and sourdough starter together and let ferment overnight ready to use in the morning for waffles.
• Eggs. Eggs provide a great source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium and many different vitamins and minerals.

• Honey. Honey can be substituted with sugar or maple syrup. I use honey to sweeten just about everything.
• Salt. Salt for flavor. These tortillas with be flavorless without salt. Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah
• Baking Soda. Baking soda is our raising agent. Baking soda reacts with the fermented batter and creating little air bubbles making a soft and fully waffle or pancake.

How to Make Sourdough Waffles

First make your sourdough starter to make a whole lot more starter. This means we are going to take 1 cup of starter and add 2 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups water and let ferment on the counter overnight.

In the morning preheat you waffle maker. Then mix into your starter batter, eggs, coconut oil, honey, salt and lastly baking soda all together.

Your batter is now ready to cook! Use your favorite waffle maker or cook on the stove top as pancakes.

Grease your waffle maker between each waffle and be patient. Some waffles makers take a long time. If the waffle is sticking to the lid the waffle is not done. Give it a little more time to cook.

Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, lemon curd or homemade whipped cream!

Tips

• Grease your waffle maker between each waffle. You don’t need a lot, a little will go a long way.
• Be Patient. If you try and lift the lid and its sticking the waffle is not done. Be patient and let it cook a little longer.
• Freeze for another day. Make mini waffles in bulk and freeze them for quick toaster waffles in the morning.

Why Sourdough?

Is sourdough healthy? What is it about sourdough that makes it healthier than regular breads or dough?

Sourdough is made when the dough is fermented with beneficial bacteria. The fermentation breaks down the starches in the wheat and making it easier to digest.

The wheat that we grow and buy in the USA is not easy to digest. The seeds have been modified, as it goes it sprayed with chemicals that prevent disease to the wheat plant but stunts its nutritional value. Have you ever heard of wheat belly? Have you notice all the trendy low carb diets being successful? This is not because carbs are bad but because our wheat and sugars have been modified and processed so much. The more processed and modified our food is the more foreign it is to our body making it hard on our system and can cause lots of different healthy issues.

One of the steps to improve our health is to ferment our breads and dough. Breaking down the hard starches before you eat it helps so much! Sourdough doesn’t just break down the starches but does so much more. Check out “11 Reasons To Eat Sourdough Bread” by Bread Affair to learn more.

Can I make sourdough waffles with the discard?

Yes! If you have 2-3 cups of discard ready you can easily make this recipe. Essentially that is what we make in the first steps of this recipe. Mix together a cup of starter with 2 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups water to make enough discard for the next mornings waffles.

Would if I don’t have a sourdough starter…

Can I still make sourdough waffles with our the sourdough starter? Yes and no… Let me explain.

Sourdough starter is make of flour and water that has been fermented. To ferment your flour and water mixture is simple, just let the mixture sit with a clothes or loose lid on your container/bowl or jar. The longer you let it sit the better the fermentation. To keep the good gut healthy bacteria alive you need to feed the mixture with more water and flour each day. The longer you keep this up the stronger the fermentation is and the better the sourdough starter is.

The first step in this recipe is to add flour, water and starter together and let sit overnight. To make this recipe without sourdough starter you can simple let your flour and water mixture lightly ferment over night. Just follow the recipe without the sourdough starter.

Using the starter will help the fermentation process get started and will break down the hard to digest starches faster. Without the starter is will not break down as much or ferment strong enough to be considered real sourdough waffles.

If you have never made sourdough and want to make your own sourdough starter check out little spoon farms “Sourdough Starter Recipe“.

What is the best waffle maker to use?

I’m still looking for the best affordable waffle maker out there but I can give you my honest review and hopeful some helpful suggestions. The YASHE Double Waffle Maker or a Cast Iron Waffle Maker is my best suggestion.

Look for deep grids

My cute little In & Out waffle maker is cheap, low wattage making it take forever to cook the waffles. My kids love the little palm tree but the grid is very shallow. The Dash mini waffle maker was only $10 and has deep grids that give it a much better texture. Although it is uses 350 watts which is lot, making it take a long time to cook still.

Look at the watt’s size.

When looking for a waffle maker I suggest looking at the wattage. Most of the cheaper, slower Belgian waffle makers have a wattage of 1000-1200 while the commercial grade waffle makers mostly use 1500 watts. In a waffle maker I would look for 1400 watts or more for a quick, crispy waffle.

YASHE Double Waffle Maker is a 1400 watts double 6 inch waffle maker for only $59.99. This is one I would put on my Christmas wish list.

My Oster Belgian 8 inch waffle maker has a wattage of 1050. It takes a very long time I typically have to make my waffles ahead of time and reheat in the oven when when want to eat them.

Mini waffle makers have a lower wattage all together. Most of them being as low as 350 watts. The multi mini waffle makers are typically around 1200 watts, like the Dash multi mini waffle maker.

Try cast iron waffle makers

I’ve heard great things about the cast iron waffle makers and would like to try one out. I do love the mini waffle and cast iron mini (4 inch) waffles makers are hard to find. I did find a 6 inch cast iron for less than $30.

Sourdough Waffles

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Instructions

The Night Before

1. Mix together 1 cup starter, 2 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups of water. Let ferment on the counter overnight

In The Morning

1. Preheat your waffle maker. Grease it in between every waffle.
2. Mix 3 eggs, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons baking soda into the starter batter.
3. Pour into your waffle maker and cook for about 4 minutes. Each waffle maker is a little different and the cook time may very.
4. Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, lemon curd or homemade whipped cream!

The post Sourdough Waffles Easy Recipe – Overnight appeared first on Embracing The Home.

What Beans Should I Use For Refried Beans?

You can technically re-fry any bean but pinto beans are the most common. Black beans are my second favorite choice.

Pinto beans are great for refried beans because once they are cooked they are very soft and tender. We want soft beans so that we can mash them or blend them to the desired consistency. We also want the right flavor. Beans in general are very bland until you add spices and seasonings. Pinto beans take on our Mexican spices and seasonings so perfectly.

Other beans such as navy beans are extra creamy and pair best with Italian seasonings. Kidney beans have thick skin and hold their form really well, they are best for soups and don’t mash as well as pinto beans. Black beans also get very soft and blend or mash up very nicely as well. Black beans are also great in Mexican dishes.

How To Cook Dried Beans

Before you cook your dried beans you need to soak them. Soaking the beans reduces gas making them easier to digest. Soaking them will also make them more tender and and softer when they are fully cooked. To add more flavor you can soak your beans in salt water. Here are a few different ways you can soak the beans.

How to Soak Dried Beans

• Quick Soak (1 hour). In a large pot add your beans and water at a 1(beans):3(water) ratio. Turn the heat on and boil for 1-2 minutes. If there is foam on the the top of the water drain that water and boil again for 1-2 minutes with fresh water. Let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hours. Add a table spoon of salt for flavor. The quick soak will not help all remove the gas from the bean and they may take longer to cook (close to 2 hours).
• Hot Soak (4 hours). It is just like a quick soak except you let it soak for 4-6 hours. This is typically how I soak my beans. 9AM rinse, boil for 1-2 minutes and start the soak, 3PM start to cook and they are ready by 4:30-5:00 to add to my dinner recipe.
• Overnight Soak (8-12 hours). In a large pot or bowl add your beans and water at a 1:3 ratio and let soak in the refrigerator over night. More water is better. The beans will expand 2-3 times their size as they soak. Add a table spoon of salt for flavor. In the morning, rinse the beans and with fresh water bring to a boil. If any foam appears on the water drain and rinse the beans and start cooking again with fresh water. Overnight beans usually take less then an hour to cook thoroughly.

How To Cook Soaked Beans

Now that the beans are soaked we will rinse them one more time and cook them in fresh water and seasoning. For refired beans we will use some Mexican flavor seasonings and spices.

Seasoning

To season Mexican flavored refried beans we use

• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Salt
• Theme *optional
• and 1 Jalapeno

Add these seasonings, spices and one whole jalapeno to your fresh cooking water and beans and cook for 1-2 hours. Once done your beans will be soft and full of flavor.

*Theme is optional. It is not a common Mexican flavored herb but complements them well. Theme is also really healthy for you. I’m always looking for opportunities to add immunity busting herbs and ingredients to my recipes and theme is a good one.

How to Re-fry Beans

Now that our beans are soaked and cooked we can finally make them “Re-fried”.

Drain most of the water out of the beans leaving just a quarter-half an inch of water. You can always add more if needed. You could also add lime or lemon juice or some oil for flavor. I typically don’t add these ingredients but some recipes do. Next mash your beans with bean or potato masher or a immersion blender. Heat up if needed, serve and enjoy!

If you want more spice and heat with your beans, mash the jalapenos (or half of it) in with your beans!

How To Get The Right Texture In Refried Beans

There are two main keys that will determine the texture of the refried beans.

• The amount of water/moisture
• The if you mash or blend

If you like a smooth, almost soup like texture for your refried beans you will need a little more water and use a blender. You can use a regular blender or an immersion blender.

For a thicker, chunkier texture use less water and mash with a masher or a fork. With the masher you will have a lot more control with how smooth or chunky your beans end up. I personally don’t like them too soupy so I ways use a potato masher and add water as I go for just the right texture.

Refried Beans

Prep Time: 6 hours

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 dried pinto beans
• 5 cups water
• 1 whole jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon salt (for soaking) + 1 teaspoon salt (for cooking)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon theme * optional

Instructions

1. Soak beans. In a pot add 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans with 5 cups water and a teaspoon of salt. Soak overnight. (read above for faster soaking options)
2. Cook beans. Rinse the water and add 5+ cups of fresh water. Add seasonings, spices, and the whole jalapeno. Cook for 1-2 hours.
3. Re-fry the beans. Drain the beans and place them back in the pot with just a little bit of water. You can also add a little oil or lemon or lime juice if you want. Mash the beans with a bean masher, potato masher or use an immersion blender. Reheat is needed and enjoy!

The post Refried Beans Recipe (from dry beans) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Irish Lamb Stew

• Lamb Shoulder. The lamb shoulder is best for stews. It becomes nice and tender when cooked long and slow. The shoulder has a bit more fat on it that you can trim off. I like to trim it off but then add it to the stew for the extra flavor. Before serving I take as much as the fatty timing and the bones out.

• Potatoes. You can use any type of potato you have for this stew but I prefer small red potatoes. They are soft and creamy, yet hold their shape well. I also just love the flavor of red potatoes, especially paired with rosemary.
• Carrots. We want our veggies cut large for this stew. You can use whole baby carrots for easier prep work.

• Cabbage. This is optional. Some people really don’t like cooked cabbage or cabbage at all and If that’s you, leave the cabbage out.
• Onion. An onion will add so much flavor as well as rich nutrition. Onions are rich in antioxidants and immune system building properties. They are great for you and great tasting.
• Garlic. Garlic also add a lot of flavor with some of the same nutritional benefits. Improving immune system and great for blood flow and heart health, garlic is a great addition to your meals.

• Broth. You can use any type of broth you want but lamb broth will be the best choice for this lamb stew. Beef broth and chicken broth also taste great in the stew. Vegetable broth will also work. The only thing I don’t advice is plain water, that will diminish the flavor greatly.
• Flour/Cornstarch. For a little thicker broth add about a 1/4-1/2 a cup flour or cornstarch to the broth. The more you use the thicker the broth will get. I advice add the flour half way (or later) through cooking the stew. We want the meat and vegetables to soak in the flavor of the broth while cooking. If the broth is to thick it will not soak in and you might will be tough and the flavor of the vegetables will be weak. You can add the flour in 20 minutes before serving and that should be long enough to thicken up.

• Rosemary. The only seasoning (besides salt and pepper) we will need for this recipe is rosemary. I like to use fresh rosemary but dried will work as well.
• Salt and Pepper to taste. If I am using homemade broth I typically need to add a lot more salt than if I’m using store bought broth. So as I am making my stew and get it a taste or two and add the needed salt and pepper to my liking.

How To Make Irish Lamb Stew

• Chop Vegetables. Cut your potatoes in quarter or large chucks, same with your carrots, onion and cabbage. Large chunks. Dice the garlic in small pieces.
• Chop Lamb. Cut your lamb shoulder into 1-2 inch pieces. Large is good but not to big.

• Saute. Get you pot nice and hot. I like to use cast iron, it works best but if you don’t have cast iron your normal pot should work just fine. With a little cooking oil in the pot sauce the onions first. As they soften add the garlic and lamb. Once the lamb is seared, not cooked though, but as soon as it is brown add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Stir in and cook for a few minutes.

• Add Broth. Pour in the broth till it just covers the meat and vegetables. Cover with a lid and let simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you let your stew simmer the more flavor your stew will have. I will often turn it on low and leave it for 2 hours or longer.

• Temper Flour. To thicken the broth add about a 1/4 cup flour to your broth. To do this without having cooked flour chunks you will need to temper the flour with the broth. To temper the flour and broth you will first add the flour with some room temperature water or broth at a 1:1 ratio. Then ladle some of the hot broth from the stew into you flour and water and mix together. Keep adding broth till the flour and broth are well mixed and hot. To make sure not flour chucks I strain the mixture while adding it to my stew. Simmer for another 20 minutes to thicken up before serving.

Irish Lamb Stew

Yield: 6 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs lamb shoulder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 carrots
• 10 small red potatoes
• 6-8 cups broth
• 1/4 cup flour or cornstarch
• 2 rosemary fresh sprigs or 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop Vegetables. Cut your potatoes in quarter or large chucks, same with your carrots, onion and cabbage. Large chunks. Dice the garlic in small pieces.
2. Chop Lamb. Cut your lamb shoulder into 1-2 inch pieces. Large is good but not to big.
3. Saute. Get you pot nice and hot. I like to use cast iron, it works best but if you don't have cast iron your normal pot will work just fine. With a little cooking oil in the pot saute the onions first. As they soften add the garlic and lamb. Once the lamb is seared (not cooked though) but as soon as it is brown add the potatoes, carrots, cabbage and seasonings. Stir in and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add Broth. Pour in the broth till it just covers the meat and vegetables. Cover with a lid and let simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you let your stew simmer the more flavor your stew will have. I will often turn it on low and leave it for 2 hours or longer.
5. Temper Flour. To thicken the broth add about a 1/4 cup flour to your broth. To do this without having cooked flour chunks you will need to temper the flour with the broth. To temper the flour and broth you will first add the flour with some room temperature water or broth at a 1:1 ratio. Then ladle some of the hot broth from the stew into you flour and water and mix together. Keep adding broth till the flour and broth are well mixed and hot. To make sure not flour chucks I strain the mixture while adding it to my stew. Simmer for another 20 minutes to thicken up before serving.

Crock Pot Simplified Version

Saute the lamb on the stove top then place in the crock pot with all the other ingredients. Turn on high for 4-6 hours and low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

The post Irish Lamb Stew Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients For Homemade Tortillas

Flour: All purpose flour makes the softest tortillas. I sometimes to 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat for the added health benefits of whole wheat flour. You can also do 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 mesa flour for a half corn half flour tortillas.

Water: Just enough water to make a nice elastic-y dough.

Oil: Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, any cooking oil will work for this recipe. I prefer avocado oil best, but it really dose not matter which one you use for your tortillas.

Salt: Salt for flavor. These tortillas with be flavorless without salt. Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah

Baking Powder: Baking powder is the key to soft fluffy tortillas. The raising agent creates little air bubbles all throughout the tortilla when cooking to bring a soft texture rather than a flat dense tortilla.

Do Not Oil Your Pan

You want to cook your tortillas with dry heat. No oil. Oil on the pan will fry your tortillas making them crunchy and fragile.

To avoid a smokey bits of four leaving burnt flour on your tortillas clean you pan with a dry rag or paper towel between each tortilla.

How To Make Homemade Tortillas

Mix all ingredients together

In a bowl mix together the flour, water, oil, salt and baking powder. Mix and kneed together for a few minutes till the dough starts to show some elasticity.

Let the dough rest

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Don’t skip this step. As the dough rest it will create a workable stretchy dough able to be rolled out to a thin tortilla.

Divide and roll out

Cut and divide your dough in to 12 equal parts. On a floured surface roll out each piece into a circle.

Cook

Heat your pan on high then turn down a little to medium high. Do not add oil to your pan. Cook each tortilla for 1-2 minutes on each side. Clean your pan with a dry rag or paper towel after each tortilla in avoid leaving flour bits burning into your next tortilla.

Can you freeze homemade tortillas?

YES! you can make a large batch and place in the freezer or refrigerator for later use. You can store your tortillas in the freezer for up to 6 months. In the refrigerator homemade tortillas can be store for about 2 weeks sometimes longer.

How to store tortillas in the freezer

Cook your tortillas lightly, half cooked on each side (30 sec -1 min). This will help keep some moisture in your tortilla so it does not dry out while in the freezer. Once completely cooled down. Store your tortillas in an air tight freezer zip-lock bag.

When you are ready to use take out of the freezer and leave on the counter top for about 10-20 minutes. Once thawed you can heat back up on the stove for fresh warm homemade tortillas.

These tortillas are go great with….

• Tacos. Chicken tacos, asada tacos, fish tacos, veggie tacos…. every type of taco will be elevated with homemade tortillas.
• Burritos. Instead of dividing your dough into 12 pieces you can cut into 8 or even 6 pieces for large tortillas that are perfect for burritos.
• Quesadillas are such an easy lunch for kids. A few tortilla with some cheese makes a yummy quick easy lunch or snack.
• Enchiladas. Chicken enchiladas are one of our favorites with my very own verde enchilada sauce.
• Tortilla Wraps. Make healthy lunch with your homemade tortilla wraps. Gathering Dreams has some great tortilla wrap ideas and recipes.
• Cinnamon and Honey. One of my favorite snacks growing up is a tortilla with honey and cinnamon. Its such a simple snack that is great for kids.

Flavored Tortillas (optional ingredients)

Sweet Tortillas

For a sweet tortilla simply add a tablespoon or two of honey or sugar to your dough. Sweet tortillas make great dessert quesadillas. Cinnamon and honey, Chocolate chip and marshmallow or nutella and fresh fruit.

Parmesan Cheese and Herbs

1/4-1/2 a cup grated parmesan cheese with a few fresh basil leaves chopped up and added to your dough will add great flavored tortillas to your chicken or veggie wraps. You can also substitute the basil for rosemary, oregano or even garlic powder. Make it your own to fit your desired flavors.

Cheesy Tortillas

Add a cup of your choice of grated cheese your your dough for extra cheesy tortillas that are great for enchiladas, burritos, and tacos!

Tortillas

Yield: 12 medium tortillas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

1. In a bowl mix together the flour, water, salt and baking soda. Mix and kneed together for a few minutes till the dough starts to show some elasticity.
2. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Don't skip this step. As the dough rest it will create a workable stretchy dough able to be rolled out to a thin tortilla.
3. Cut and divide your dough in to 12 equal parts. On a floured surface roll out each piece into a circle.
4. Heat your pan on high then turn down a little to medium high. Do not add oil to your pan. Cook each tortilla for 1-2 minutes on each side. Clean your pan with a dry rag or paper towel after each tortilla in avoid leaving flour bits burning into your next tortilla.

The post Homemade Tortillas appeared first on Embracing The Home.

I also have a recipe for homemade tortillas for a fully from scratch enchiladas recipe. Again, you can just buy your favorite tortillas if you don’t want to make them.

Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas

Tortillas

You can make your own homemade tortillas with this recipe here or use your favorite store bought tortillas. To make this recipe gluten free substitute for gluten free tortillas.

Chicken

This recipe is great for using up left over chicken. I often bake a whole chicken at the beginning of the week and use the left over chicken in recipes like this one. When using fresh chicken I like to make shredded chicken but you can also use chopped grilled or baked chicken for this recipe.

You can make shredded chicken easily on the stove top by placing you chicken breast in a pot and covering them with water or broth. Bring to a boil and them simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Drain the water and shred with two forks. To see this process in more detail visit Completely Delicious. She also give instructions on crock pot and instant pot versions.

Onion and Bell Pepper

This recipe calls for 1 onion and 2 bell pepper. I like to keep frozen chopped onion and bell pepper mix in my freezer to make recipes like this one just a little easier. Its not hard to chop on onion and bell pepper but it is super easy to just pour a bag into a pan to saute.

You could substitute or add any other desired vegetables in your chicken enchiladas. Some other options may include mushrooms, corn, zucchini, spinach, olives… You can be creative here.

Olive Oil

You can use any cooking oil to saute your vegetables in. I actually prefer coconut oil or avocado oil for the majority of my recipes.

Enchilada Sauce

In the recipe card I have the instructions for making a super easy green enchilada sauce. To see more in-depth instructions you can read my other post for my Verde Enchilada Sauce. Or you can buy your favorite green enchilada sauce from the store for a quick and easy dinner.

Cheese

My favorite cheese for this recipe is Pepper Jack. The pepper give another added layer of spice to our creamy cheese ingredient. You could however use plain Monterey Jack or Mozzarella. I like the white cheeses for this recipe but that does not mean that Cheddar or Mexican Blend wont also work. In all honesty, your favorite cheese will make this your favorite recipe for enchiladas.

How To Make Enchilada Sauce

Roast The Vegetables

On a baking sheet or roasting pan spread out quartered onions, quartered tomatillos, whole garlic cloves and jalapenos drizzled with a little olive oil. Roast them at 350 for 30 minutes.

Blend All Ingredients

Take the vegetables out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Take the seeds out of the jalapenos if you want a mild sauce or keep them if you want more heat. Add them a blender or bowl with an immersion blender. Then Add the broth, cilantro and lime juice and blend together till smooth. Add salt to taste.

How To Make Enchiladas

Cook The Chicken

This recipe is great for using up left over chicken. I often bake a whole chicken at the beginning of the week and use the left over chicken in recipes like this one. When using fresh chicken I like to make shredded chicken but you can also use chopped grilled or baked chicken for this recipe.

You can make shredded chicken easily on the stove top by placing you chicken breast in a pot and covering them with water or broth. Bring to a boil and them simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Drain the water and shred with two forks. To see this process in more detail visit Completely Delicious. She also give instructions on crock pot and instant pot versions.

Saute The Vegetables

Chop and saute your onion and bell peppers with a little bit of cooking oil. For added flavor you can season them with garlic and chili powder or just leave plain. You enchilada sauce will gives us the majority of the flavor in this recipe so adding extra seasoning to our chicken and veggies is optional.

Assemble Enchiladas

To assemble the chicken enchiladas you will gather your chicken, sauteed veggies, tortillas, sauce and cheese.

1. In a 9 x 13 pan place one tortilla.
2. Fill it with a little chicken, a little vegetables, a little sauce and a little cheese.
3. Fold the sides in and place it, fold side down in the pan.
4. Repeat the first 3 steps till your run out of room in your pan or ingredients.
5. Once the enchiladas are all in, spread the remaining sauce so that all the enchiladas are covered.
6. Sprinkle cheese over the top as well.

Bake

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then take the foil off and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Serve hot and enjoy with Cilantro Lime Rice and Homemade Re-fried Beans. Top with sour cream, green onions, avocado, lime, or olives. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas (Green Sauce)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

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Ingredients

Green Enchilada Sauce

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 lb or 20 tomatillos
• 1 onion
• 3 jalapenos
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• Juice from one lime
• Salt to taste

Chicken Enchiladas

Toggle ingredient group

• 12 tortillas
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 1 onion
• 2 bell peppers
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups OR 2, 10 oz green enchilada sauce
• 3 cups shredded cheese

Instructions

Green Enchilada Sauce

1. Take the husk off all your tomatillos, wash and cut in half or quarters depending on their size.
2. Cut your onion in quarters
3. On a baking sheet spread tomatillos, onions, whole jalapenos and 3 whole garlic cloves with a little olive oil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
4. Once baked, remove seeds from jalapenos for a mild sauce or keep them for more heat and spice.
5. Add the roasted vegetables, broth, cilantro, and lime juice into a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Add salt to taste and enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

1. Cook chicken by placing in a pot and covering with water or broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain the water and shred with 2 forks.
2. Saute onions and bell peppers in a little oil until soft.
3. Assemble you enchiladas
   - In a 9 x 12 pan place your first tortilla
   - Fill it with a little chicken, a little vegetables, a little sauce and a little cheese
   - Fold the sides in a place it, folded side down in the pan.
   - Repeat the these steps for rest of the tortillas
4. Once the enchiladas are all in, spread the remaining sauce so that all the enchiladas are covered. Sprinkle cheese over the top as well.
5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Serve hot and enjoy with Cilantro Lime Rice and Homemade Re-fried Beans. Top with sour cream, green onions, avocado, lime, or olives. Enjoy!

The post Chicken Enchiladas With Green Sauce appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients For Enchilada Sauce

Tomatillo

If you are not familiar with tomatillos, let me assure you, they are not green tomatoes. Even when I sent my husband to the store for a few more he said, “Aren’t those just green tomatoes”… No, they look like tomatoes but they have a different flavor and texture. They have a papery husk around them and a slightly sticky coating that is easily washed off. Tomatillos have a more acidic flavor then tomatoes and are more firm and less juice. They are a vital and main ingredient to all green salsa and enchilada sauces.

Jalapeno

Jalapenos add spice and flavor to our enchilada sauce. The seeds are what bring the heat. If you want a mild sauce you can take out the seeds after roasting them. For my kids I only leave the seeds in 1 of the 3 jalapeno’s and take them out of the other two. If I was cooking for just me and my husband we would leave the seeds in all three jalapenos and embrace the heat.

Onion

Yellow onions are my favorite for this recipe but red or white onions will still work. We will roast the onion along with the jalapenos, garlic and tomatillos. Onions are a give a little sweet and spicy flavor that pairs perfectly with the tomatillos and jalapenos.

Garlic

Garlic is another pungent flavor that add depth to our sauce. Three whole garlic cloves roasted with the rest of the ingredients will add so much more flavor than just adding garlic powder.

Cilantro

Some people are not a fan of cilantro. If you are one of those people leave the cilantro out. I love cilantro and it compliments this sauce wonderfully with its bright fresh flavor. If you don’t like cilantro you will not like the sauce unless you opt out of this one ingredient.

Lime Juice

Lime juice adds a fresh, zesty flavor. Its best with fresh limes but 2 teaspoons of bottled lime juice will also work great. If you don’t have limes, lemon juice will also add desired zesty flavor, just in a little different way.

Chicken Broth

Chicken broth add another layer and depth of flavor as well as the needed liquid for this to become a sauce. If you don’t have chicken broth you can use any other type of broth or plain water. I prefer the broth.

Salt

Salt to taste. If you are using water instead of broth you might need a little more salt.

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah

How To Make Enchilada Sauce

Cut Onion and Tomatillos

Cut the onion into quarters and the tomatillos in half or quarters depending on the size

Roast The Vegetables

On a baking sheet or roasting pan spread out quartered onions, quartered tomatillos, whole garlic cloves and jalapenos drizzled with a little olive oil. Roast them at 350 for 30 minutes.

Blend All Ingredients

Take the vegetables out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Take the seeds out of the jalapenos if you want a mild sauce or keep them if you want more heat. Add them a blender or bowl with an immersion blender. Add the broth, cilantro and lime juice and blend together till smooth. Add salt to taste.

Store

Store your sauce in a jar for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator or up to a year in the freezer.

You can also do a quick water bath canning with the recipe and store on your shelf for a year. If you choose to can don’t forget to through clean and sterilize your jars and lids. Although this recipe is already very acidic I would also add on the top of my sauce some extra lime juice. The acidic juice will help keep bacteria from forming in your sauce.

Green Enchilada Sauce

Yield: 4 cups, 2 pint mason jars.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 lb or 20 tomatillos
• 1 onion
• 3 jalapenos
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• Juice from one lime
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Take the husk off all your tomatillos, wash and cut in half or quarters depending on their size.
2. Cut your onion in quarters
3. On a baking sheet spread tomatillos, onions, whole jalapenos and 3 whole garlic cloves with a little olive oil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
4. Once baked, remove seeds from jalapenos for a mild sauce or keep them for more heat and spice.
5. Add the roasted vegetables, broth, cilantro, and lime juice into a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Add salt to taste and enjoy!

The post Verde Enchilada Sauce (From Scratch Recipe) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

High Protein Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour vs All Purpose Flour

Whole wheat flour contains 11-15% protein while All Purpose flour contains 9-12% protein. In other words, 1 cup of whole wheat flour contain about 16 grams of protein and all purpose flour contains about 13 grams of protein. Three grams may not seem like a big difference but it does add up with each cup.

Almond Flour

Almond flour contains about 24 grams of protein. This is almost twice as much as all purpose flour. So when making a high protein breakfast that your kids will enjoy, use almond flour.

Split Pea Powder (or another protein powder)

Split pea powder/flour is a great source of protein. 1 cup contain about 25 grams of protein. The protein amount is about the same as using almond four but much cheaper. Just take dried split peas and blend them in the blender or coffee grinder into powder. On the down side split pea powder/four can taste a little bitter. Almond flour has a delicious flavor but is expensive. Split pea powder/flour flavor is not great but its cheap. I use both in my recipe to save some money and keep my waffles tasting wonderful.

If you don’t like the split pea powder you can use more almond flour or another source of protein powder.

Eggs

Eggs are another great source of protein. Each egg has about 7 grams of protein. There are four eggs in this recipe adding another 28 grams of protein to this recipe.

How Much Protein in Each Waffle?

I’ve approximated about each mini waffle contains about 5 grams of protein. Eggo waffles contain 2 grams of protein per waffle. This more than doubles the protein count per waffle.

More High Protein Breakfasts

• Greek Yogurt. Add 1/2 a cup of Greek yogurt is 12 grams of protein.
• Eggs. 2 eggs for breakfast is about 14 grams of protein.
• Oatmeal. 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal is 6 grams of protein. Add an egg into your oatmeal and make it 13 grams.
• Protein Smoothie. Protein Smoothie’s including greek yogurt, protein powder, chia and flax seeds make a great source of protein. For 10 oz smoothie (kids size) you could easily get 15 grams of protein. A 16 oz smoothie could easily contain 30 or more grams of protein with the right ingredients.

Low Protein Breakfast To Avoid

• Cheerios. 1 cup of original Cheerios contains about 3 grams of protein… no need to mention other sugar cereals…
• Eggo waffles contain 2 grams per waffle…
• Nature Valley Breakfast Bars contain 3 grams per bar…
• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt has less then 5 grams protein per 1/2 cup (not all yogurts are equal)…

How Much Protein Do Kids Need?

According to the internet…

• Ages 1-3 need 13 grams of protein a day
• Ages 4-8 need 19 grams of protein a day
• Ages 9-13 need 34 grams of protein a day
• Ages 14-18 need 52 grams of protein a day
• Average adult women need 46 grams
• Average adult man needs 62 grams

This is a guide line but truly the amount of protein you need is dependent on your body’s size and how active you are. For kids, they may need more as they are going through growth spurts. For women and men they made need more if they are trying to loose weight or gain muscle.

The better way to measure how much protein you need is to multiply .8 by how many kilograms you weight or .36 by how many pounds you weight. This will give you a better estimate of how much protein you need each day.

How To Make Protein Waffles

Plug in waffle maker and preheat. I like the mini waffle maker so that I can freeze the waffles and later heat them up in the toaster for a quick breakfast.

Make split pea powder. Take 1 cup of split peas and blend till powder in a blender or coffee grinder.
Mix together dry ingredients, whole wheat flour, almond flour, split pea powder, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.

Mix wet ingredients, eggs, milk, pumpkin or banana.Mix batter together.

Oil your waffle maker with your favorite baking oil. Pour into waffle maker and let cook for 4-6 minutes.

Protein Waffles

Yield: 20 mini waffles

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup split pea powder/flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (or smashed bananas)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar or honey

Instructions

1. Plug in waffle maker and preheat. (I like the mini waffle maker so we can freeze the waffles and heat up in the toaster)
2. Make split pea powder. Take 1 cup of split peas and blend till powder in a blender or coffee grinder.
3. Mix together dry ingredients, whole wheat flour, almond flour, split pea powder, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.
4. Mix wet ingredients, eggs, milk, pumpkin or banana.
5. Mix batter together.
6. Oil your waffle maker with your favorite baking oil.
7. Pour into waffle maker and let cook for 4-6 minutes.

Store in refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.

The post Waffle Recipe – High Protein (kids breakfast) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Is Homemade Jam Healthy?

You can make homemade jam healthier than store bought jams by using less sugar and no synthetic preservative or ingredients but there is still a lot of sugar in homemade jams. So, healthier but not healthy.

Tips For Making Your Homemade Jam and Jelly Healthier

Use Less Sugar

If you are using sweet fruit like strawberries, apricots, peaches or plums you can use a lot less sugar in your jams and it still taste sweet and delicious. When try a new recipe add half of the sugar and cook for a few minutes then taste the jam. Add more till you reach your desired sweetness. When using cranberries in your recipes you will want to use the recommended amount of sugar due to there sour and sometimes bitter taste.

Substitutes For Sugar

Honey, maple syrup, and stevia are all great healthy substitutes for sugar! I prefer doing half sugar and honey rather than doing 100% honey or another sweetener.

When omitting sugar from your jam recipes it will effect the thickening of you jam. To be successful use the right pectin. Pectin and sugar work together in thickening and firming the jam. There is pectin that does not require sugar to activate, such as, Real Fruit Pectin.

Do Cranberries Have Natural Pectin?

Yes! Cranberries have lots of natural pectin and firm up really well the longer you let them simmer.

Do Persimmons Have Natural Pectin?

Yes! Persimmons have natural pectin. Although they have a natural pectin they may not have enough to get your jam to your desired texture. That is why this recipe uses cranberries. They have a lot more natural pectin helping thicken my persimmons and creates a wonderful blend of flavor.

Different Types of Persimmons

There are two main types of persimmons Fuyu and Hachiya. Fuyu is the sweet, eat like an apple delicious when raw persimmon fruit. It is short, with tough skin and juicy flesh. Hachiya is not like the Fuyu. It is long and although sweet with the same flavor as the Fuyu it often has a mouth drying feeling when you eat it. This is due to what’s called Astringency. The best way to use Hachiya persimmons is by cooking them or waiting till they are over ripe to eat.

Either choice is good for jam. Both are sweet and cook the same. When ever I get Hachiya persimmons I always make jam with them. This year we had an abundance of Fuyu and enjoyed them daily with enough to make our jam.

How to Make Cranberry Persimmon Jam

Prepare Your Persimmons

Cut and peel your persimmons in small pieces. Trim off any blemishes.

Cook Your Jam

In a large pot cook on medium high the persimmons, cranberries sugar, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, and all-spice. Let it simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.

The jam should thicken up. You can test the texture by taking a tablespoon of the jam and placing it in the freezer for a minute to see how thick the jam sets when cooled.

Blend You Fruit

After its cook for a while. Use an immersion blender to blend your jam to your desired consistency. I like a few chucks of fruit but not a lot. You can also place you jam in a blender or mash it with a potato masher. The longer it cooks the more the fruit will brake down but it is faster if you blend it.

Store Your Jam

Clean your jars and sanitize if you plan on water bath canning them. Use a ladle and a canning funnel for clean easy transfer into the jars.

Without canning your jars will last 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. With canning they will last up to a year in your pantry. Once opened, 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.

How To Water Bath Can Jam

Wash and sterilize your canning jars, lids and rings. You can sterilize by placing the clean jars in boiling water with a 1/2 cup of vinegar for ten minutes. I always wash my rings and lids with hot soupy water and put them in a stainless steal strainer above the boiling water on top of the jars to steam them.

The vinegar is optional. I use it because are water is hard and leaves spots on the jars unless I use the vinegar.

Heat water to a light simmer in a large canning pot and with a canning jar rack.

When the jam is hot poor it into your jars leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace.

Clean off the rim of your jars with a little white vinegar and place the lids and rings on finger tight, no tighter. With your jar tongs place your jars with hot jam into the hot water. (You can also work with cold jam but you will need the water to also be cool.)

Bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let the jars remain in the water for another 10 minutes before taking out. Take out and let cool. After a few hours take the rings off and check the seal by lifting gently on the lid.

Cranberry Persimmon Jam

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients

• 20 Persimmons
• 8 cups of cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 6 cups sugar
• Zest from 2 oranges
• Juice from 2 oranges
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon all-spice

Instructions

1. Cut and peel your persimmons in small pieces
2. In a large pot cook on medium high the persimmons, cranberries sugar, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, and all-spice.
3. Let it simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. The jam should thicken up. You can test the texture by taking a tablespoon of the jam and placing it in the freezer for a minute to see how thick the jam sets when cooled.
4. Poor you jam in clean sterilize jars and enjoy!

You can keep your jam in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. Or you can water bath can your jam for longer shelf life.

Water Bath Canning

1. Wash and sterilize your canning jars, lids and rings.
2. Heat water to a light simmer in a large canning pot and with a canning jar rack.
3. When the jam is hot poor it into your jars leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace.
4. Clean off the rim of your jars with a little white vinegar and place the lids and rings on finger tight, no tighter.
5. With your jar tongs place your jars with hot jam into the hot water. (You can also work with cold jam but you will need the water to also be cool.)
6. Bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and let the jars remain in the water for another 10 minutes before taking out.
8. Take out and let cool. After a few hours take the rings off and check the seal by lifting gently on the lid.

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