FAQs

What is the difference between a carving pumpkin and a baking pumpkin?

A baking pumpkin (or pie pumpkin) will be a little smaller and heavy for its size. The heavier the pumpkin typically the better for baking. Baking pumpkins have thicker walls and are sweeter then the carving pumpkins.

A carving pumpkin is typically large and light. The inside walls are thinner and stringy. Carving pumpkins are not as sweet and once cooked can have a little bit of a bitter taste to them. The taste is not always noticeable in your recipes but the baking pumpkins make your desserts and soups and breads so much better.

Can I make pumpkin puree from a carving pumpkin?

If you have already carved the pumpkin and you had it as decoration for Halloween then NO. Once its been cut open the pumpkin it will start to slowly rot. So do not use your carved pumpkins to for eating. You can however bake our boil the scraps and pieces you cut out of your pumpkin and make them into pumpkin puree rather then throwing them in the trash.

If you are just asking if the carving type of pumpkin is good for eating and making puree, the answer is… they are not the best. Carving pumpkins are edible and taste fine. They are not as sweet as baking pumpkins and they are stringy. They also often have thinner walls not giving you as much meat to work with.

Can I make pumpkin puree from pumpkin guts?

Pumpkin guts are the stringy insides that we pull out of our carving pumpkins. They are not ideal for making pumpkin puree but you absolutely can. I would add them to a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes then drain the water and put them in the blender. You will then have a little pumpkin puree to eat.

What is the best pumpkin to use for puree?

The best pumpkins are the baking pumpkins. There are lots of different verities of baking pumpkins and they are all a little different but will still work great for cooking and baking with. There are some verities that are considered carving pumpkins because of there thin walls and light weight.

Can I make pumpkin puree without baking it?

The pumpkin must be cooked in order for it to puree. You can cook it either by baking the pumpkin or by boiling the pumpkin. To boil it you have to cut it in to smaller pieces and when baking you only have to cut it in half. I like to bake my pumpkins.

How To Puree a Pumpkin

Step One: Pick Your Pumpkin

Pick out a nice baking pumpkin, one that is one that seems heavy for its size. At the store they may be marked as sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins. I do not recommend using a carving pumpkin. Read above to learn more about the differences.

Step Two: Preheat Oven

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while you cut and gut your pumpkin.

Step Three: Cut and Gut Your Pumpkin

Cut the top off you pumpkin then proceed to cutting the pumpkin in half using a large chefs knife. Watch out for fingers! Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds.

Step Four: Bake Your Pumpkin

Use a large baking sheet to place your pumpkins on cut side down. Add a little water to the bottom of the pan and Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Step Five: Blend the Pumpkin

Once the pumpkin is done baking let it cool down at least enough to handle it. Use a large spoon to scoop out the inside of the pumpkin and add it to your Vitamix, blender or food processor. Blend on high until very smooth.

Step Six: Store Your Fresh Pumpkin Puree

When its all blended smooth and the perfect pumpkin puree, pour it into mason jars, zip-lock bags or any airtight container you plan to store it in. You can leave it in the fridge for 7-10 days or in the freezer for up to a year. I like to freeze mine and use it through out the fall season in all my pies, breads and soups.

Recipes With Pumpkin Puree!

Pumpkin Puree

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• Baking Pumpkin

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut the top of the pumpkin off and then cut it in half. Take all the seeds outs.
3. Place the pumpkin face down on a large baking sheet with around 1/2-1 inch of water.
4. Bake for 1 hours at 375 degrees.
5. Once baked, scoop the insides into your blender or food processor. Blend the pumpkin on high till it is a smooth puree. You might need to add a little water to the pumpkin if it is not blending.
6. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 7-10 days or in the freezer for up to a year.

The post How To Make Pumpkin Puree From Scratch appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Azure Standard doesn’t specialize in nuts or in candied items but in organic, non-GMO bulk groceries. I love their mission and what they believe about the importance of the quality of food we consume. Azure is first family orientated and believe in making their prices affordable for all.

A Little About Azure

Azure Standard runs like a co-op. They deliver their goods once a month to delivery drop locations throughout the United States. When you make an order you are committing to meet the delivery truck at the drop location and pick up your order straight off the truck.

Azure Standard is known for and believes in the benefit of organic foods. Although they do have some non organic products. They are also known for the ability to order bulk quantities but they also offer smaller or regular sized quantities for their products. Flour for example, their organic all purpose flour has size options of 30oz, 5lbs, 10lbs and 25lbs. I buy 25 lbs at a time.

Azure Standard is a family and community motivated company. They strive to provide affordable and healthy food to their customers. From the why they grow their organic foods to the way the deliver, their motivation is for the benefit of the family and community.

Why Buy Organic

Organic foods can be expensive! And the question that always comes to my mind when seeing the price difference at the store is… “is organic actually worth this price?”. Is organic food worth the money? How much does it affect our health? Aren’t the labels out there all just a scam? In order to determine if organic foods are best for you, you will have to evaluate your own health conditions and your financial state.

Does Organic Foods Have Higher Nutrition Values?

The research is conflicting… Some say yes, some say no. I say yes and this is why.

What they have found to agree on is that organic foods have more antioxidants. Antioxidants help our body fight off free radicals. Free radicals can be very dangerous to our bodies and DNA causing cancer. Antioxidants help fight that from happening. Organic foods are a great source for antioxidants where conventional foods are not. Check out Healthline’s “What Is Organic Food, and Is It Better Than Non-Organic Food?” for more information.

Antioxidants not only protect our bodies but also protect the plant from disease. Non organic plants have chemical pesticides sprayed on them to protect them. By doing this the plant does not need to produce as much antioxidants. Organic foods are not sprayed with these chemicals and create their own protection through antioxidants. When we eat these foods the antioxidants in them also aid our own health.

There more I could say about the benefits of organic food but that will have to wait. Comment below if you have any question, I’d be happy to answer them.

Price Comparison

Nuts are expensive! Almonds, pecans, walnuts they are full of nutrition and good things but cost so much. Here I am comparing the price of pecans, almonds with Azure Standard, Nuts.com, Costco and Walmart. The of my September haul I compare only with nuts.com. You can see a full comparison with Walmart and Costco on my other price comparison posts.

Costco definitely wins in the prices for nuts. Price and quality are both found at Costco when it comes to nuts. Check out Azure Standard Review, Costco Price Comparison to see more on Costco prices.

In Summary

Don’t buy nuts from nuts.com…. They are too expensive! Our Azure pick up is in town and the closest Costco is only 25 minutes away. We will continue to shop there rather then the specialized online stores.

The post Azure Standard and Nuts.com Price Comparison appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Flour

This recipe turns out best with 100% All-Purpose flour but I often use a 50/50 mixture of All-Purpose and Whole Wheat Flour. The bread still turns out wonderfully. When using just All-Purpose

Baking Soda, Baking Powered & Salt

Baking soda and powdered is a raising agents. The baking soda creates little air bubbles when activated by acidic ingredients like apple cider vinegar or buttermilk. To make this recipe vegan I use vinegar to activate. Baking powder is also activated partly by acidic ingredients but also heat. So to insure a even continually rise I use both. You can substitute them for each other if you need.

Don’t forget to enhance the flavor of everything you make some good ol’ salt.

Sugar

This bread is somewhat bland but with the right amount of sugar can easily turn into a dessert! You don’t need to much sugar to make it perfect for a dinner side or snack bread.

Chia Seeds

We will use chia seeds as an egg substitute. Chia seeds soaked in water create a gel like texture simmilar to an egg white. The chia seeds are also filled with good omega-3 fats that also help bring out bread together so it wont crumble and fall apart.

Water or Plant Based Milk

You can use water or a plant based milk for our liquid. Be sure to soak your chia seeds in some water to create our egg substitute.

Coconut Oil

Melted coconut oil will also add to our fat based ingredients to help keep our bread soft and held together. You can use olive oil or another favorite oil to bake with. My favorite is coconut.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is used to help activate the baking soda and baking powder and create a nice fluffy soft bread. Without the vinegar the baking soda will not be activated and your bread will be dense. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar you can substitute with lemon juice.

How To make Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Step 1: Prepare Pan and Preheat Oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan. One the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mix the bubbling and rise affect begins. We want to get the batter in the oven quickly so have your pan prepared by oiling it or parchment paper lining the pan.

Step 2: Chia Seeds Egg Substitute

Mix chia seeds in water and let soak for about 5 minutes till the water and chia seeds create a thick, gel like texture.

Step 3: Mix Dry Ingredients

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Step 4: Mix Wet Ingredients Together

Mix the apple cider vinegar, melted coconut oil and chia seeds and water/milk together.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry and Bake

Mix together wet and dry ingredients together. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Step 6: Cool and Enjoy!

Check if the bread is done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean the bread is done. Let cool before cutting into it. Serve with a little butter, some honey and enjoy!

Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 Cups water or milk

Instructions

1. Prepare baking pan by greasing or lining with parchment paper or and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix together dry ingredients then in separate bowl mix together wet ingredients (and chia seeds)
3. Combine the two when oven is preheated and the pan is prepared. Once the baking soda is activated by the apple cider vinegar you want to get in the oven quickly to ensure and nice even, fluffy raise.
4. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Let cool before cutting in. Enjoy!

The post How To Make Vegan Irish Soda Bread appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for My Caprese Salad

Tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes! You can use Cherry, Roma, Beefsteak… Any type of tomatoes works. Cut them in medium-large bites.

Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Mozzarella is best but if you don’t have any you can use regular it just isn’t quiet the same but is still good. You can either buy the slices or the pearls. For this salad I use a high quality regular mozzarella because its what I had on hand. I cut it into cubes the same size as my tomatoes.

Fresh Basil

I grow fresh basil in my garden and I advise everyone to grow basil. Its easy and so rewarding! If you don’t have a basil in your garden you can buy fresh leaves at your local grocery store or ask a friend who has a garden if they could spare a few basil leaves. This recipe will not work at all with dried basil.

Balsamic Vinegar

Although not a traditional ingredient I don’t ever make Caprese without a little balsamic. It adds a sweet, bold flavor that complements the other ingredients beautifully.

Olive/Avocado Oil

Traditionally you would drizzle olive oil on caprese salad but I was out so I used Avocado oil and it did not disappoint. You don’t need a lot just a little drizzle.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is another non traditional ingredients that I just can’t seem to live without! I love fresh garlic on just about everything. The garlic is bold flavor and some people don’t love it, if you are one of those people feel free to leave it out.

Salt and Pepper

Adding a little salt and pepper goes a long way.

How to Make Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is easy to assemble. Traditionally sliced tomatoes and sliced cheese with full leaves of basil, drizzle some olive oil and you are done! I personally like everything cut a little smaller so I can easily have all the ingredients in one bite.

Cut or slice your tomatoes the way you want, cut or slice the mozzarella the same way at the tomatoes. Cut or keep your leaves whole depending on your preference. Add minced garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Caprese Salad

Yield: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 4 Medium to Large Tomatoes
• 5-10 Basil Leaves
• 3-5 Mozzarella Slices
• 3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3-4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Garlic Cloves

Instructions

1. Cut or slice tomatoes, cheese and basil however you prefer.
2. Add minced garlic and salt and pepper
3. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar
4. Toss lightly and serve!

Add more….

Here I added butter lettuce and avocado to my Caprese Salad to go along with my Honey Balsamic Salmon. I may seem like you are ruining a good caprese salad by adding more ingredients but I like to think of it more as elevating my everyday salad with some caprese.

In my cooking I also encourage creativity and experimenting, its how we learn and grow to be a better cook. So add ingredients you think will make your meal complete and worry about tradition later.

The post How to Make Caprese Salad appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Honey Balsamic Salmon

Salmon fillets

This recipe calls for 2, 4oz fillets but the glaze could easily cover 3. If you plan to cook more than that I would double the recipe.

Honey

Honey is our sweetener but you could easily substitute honey for brown sugar. I go back and forth depending on the flavor I’m craving. There are sometimes when I really want that honey flavor and sometimes I want the caramelized brown sugar. Either one works.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic Vinegar is our main ingredient and flavor for our salmon. Use Balsamic Vinegar not balsamic glaze or dressing.

Dijon Mustard

You can use Dijon or yellow or even spicy brown mustard, either one will work but my favorite is Dijon. You could also use powdered mustard. If you use powdered only use 1/4 of a teaspoon.

Rosemary

This is optional, We have a rosemary bush and put it in almost everything. It does go very well with balsamic glaze. You can use fresh if you have it. Just chop it up nice and small and add it in. Or you can use dried rosemary and that work just as well.

Garlic

One of my favorite cooking ingredients of all time. I like to use fresh garlic but sometimes I do use powdered. If using powdered measure out 1/4 teaspoon.

Salt and Pepper

I add salt and pepper to taste, It doesn’t need much you can either add it to the sauce or sprinkle a little on each fillet.

How to Cook Salmon

Mix Glaze Ingredients together

In a small bowl add honey, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and mix till combined.

Marinade Salmon

Take your fresh or thawed salmon and put in a ziplock bag to marinade. Pour 1/2 of your balsamic mixture into the bag with the salmon. Zip the bag, letting out the air and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Cook Salmon

Place your skillet on high to med high and get it nice and hot. Take your salmon and place it skin side down on your hot skillet. If you want the skin to be extra crispy add a little oil to the pan first. Cook for a few minutes and pour or spoon the extra sauce from the bag onto the fish. After 4-5 minutes when most of the salmon is cooked flip over and pour or spoon more sauce on the fish. after 2 minutes turn the heat off, pour the rest of the sauce in the pan and place the lid and let be for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve and Enjoy!

Serve the salmon over rice or with a nice Caprese Salad. When you serve the salmon drizzle the sauce that is in the pan on the salmon and enjoy!

Salmon With Honey Balsamic Glaze

Yield: 2, 4oz fillets

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2, 4oz Salmon Fillets

Honey Balsamic Glaze

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard
• 1 Teaspoon Rosemary
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Garlic Clove (1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl mix together all the honey balsamic glaze ingredients, Honey, Balsamic Vinegar, Mustard, Rosemary, Garlic and Salt and Pepper.
2. Take fresh or thawed Salmon fillets and place in a ziplock bag. Pour 1/2 of you balsamic glaze in the bag and marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat your pan on high/med high till its hot. Drizzle a little oil in the pan and place your salmon skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes. Spoon a little of the glaze on the salmon as it cooks.
4. Flip on the the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Turn off heat and pour the rest of the glaze on the Salmon and leave in the pan with a lid for 5-10 minutes off the heat.
6. When you serve drizzle the sauce from the pan on the fish. Enjoy!

The post Salmon with a Simple Honey Balsamic Glaze appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Heads up! My post do contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Best Pizza Dough Recipe Here

Pizza Sauce Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

This is our base. Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce. You can roast or cook fresh tomatoes and blend to make your sauce or you can use an already canned tomato sauce. Today I used canned tomato sauce from Walmart.

Onion

Onions provide so much depth of flavor. They are sweet and savory at the same time and although very pungent when raw once cooked they provide a mild base line of flavor to our sauce.

Garlic

I use fresh garlic although garlic powder would work too. The garlic adds another depth of flavor with with bold, spicy aroma. When sauteed with the onion it too becomes less pungent and offers a sort of nutty flavor to our sauce.

Basil

Basil provides a sweet contrast to our acidic tomatoes and pungent onion and garlic. These 4 flavors go so well together the are the base for many different Italian recipes. You can use fresh or dried basil. If you use fresh make sure you mince it well and add double the amount. This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh basil.

Cayenne Pepper

I love adding a little spice to my tomato sauces. Pepperoni pizza with pepper flakes along with a little cayenne pepper in the sauce is just so good! Depending on how much spice you like you can experiment with the amount of pepper you use. I like just a little spice, and I have kids so I try to stick to the mild side and work my way up. You can also use chili powder or paprika as a substitute.

Molasses (Optional)

I love molasses. A little molasses adds so much flavor and nutrition to our sauce. I tend to make a lot of vegetarian pizzas for my family and this added flavor in the sauce makes it seem like I’m not miss our on anything by not having any meat.

Learn more about the Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses in this article and find enjoy more recipes with blackstrap molasses in them.

How to Make Pizza Sauce

1. Saute Onions and Garlic

Mince the onions and garlic nice and small and saute together. Add a little oil or even just water to the pan to help from sticky. Oil will add and enhance the flavors from the onions and garlic but water works just as well.

2. Add Tomato Sauce, Basil and Cayenne

Pour in the tomato sauce and turn heat to a medium. Add basil and cayenne and stir in. If you like the idea of adding molasses add at this time as well. Let simmer for 10-30 minutes on low. Taste and add salt, pepper or more basil if desired.

3. Store Your Sauce

Let the sauce cool down and then you can use right away or store for later. I usually make enough for about 4 pizza’s but typically only make 2 for our family’s dinner. I either store the sauce in a jar in the refrigerator for about 1 week or you can store in the freezer for up to a year.

The Best Pizza Dough Recipe Here

Pizza Sauce

Yield: 4 pizzas

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 1, 29oz can of tomato sauce (or 2, 15oz cans)
• 1/2 Onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil or 2 tablespoon fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses (optional)

Instructions

1. In a sauce pan, saute onion with garlic with a little bit of oil.
2. Add tomatoes, basil, cayenne and molasses (optional)
3. Let simmer for 10-30 minutes. Enough time to blend the flavors together.
4. Let cool and use right away or store in refrigerator or freezer for another day.

Pizza Or Calzone?

This pizza sauce recipe is also perfect for calzones! Although if you are looking for something a little different with your calzones check out these two recipes.

Spinach & Artichoke Calzone Mushroom & Onion Calzone

The post The Best Pizza Marinara Sauce appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Heads up! My post do contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

More Calzone Recipes…

Calzones for dinner! Try my Mushroom and Onion Calzone or Spinach and Artichoke Calzone next!

How To Make Chocolate Cinnamon Dessert Calzones

This recipe is very simple. I make dessert calzones whenever I am making calzones for dinner. My dough is already made the oven is already up to 500 degrees. To make this very simple dessert, just grab a little bit of butter, some chocolate chips, a little brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

1. Make pizza/calzone dough

I make my pizza dough from scratch but you can also buy pizza dough for your local grocery store or pizzeria’s sometimes sell dough. Click here for my pizza dough recipe.

2. Roll out your dough

Roll the dough out just like pizza dough. You can even do the little throw in the air trick if you are that cool. Before placing the filling on make sure you place some parchment paper under the dough.

3. Add filling

Add your dessert filling ingredients to one half of the rolled out dough. Start with some chunks of butter or melted butter on your dough. Now brown sugar, then some chocolate chips and last but not least cinnamon.

4. Fold the calzone

Fold over the plain side of dough over onto the side with the filling. Leaving about an inch of room to seal. Pinch the edge a little and roll or twist the edge all the way around.

5. Butter or Egg wash the top

In my other calzones recipes I egg wash the top. For this dessert calzone I wanted to do a little more… Instead of the egg wash you can use butter. After the butter I sprinkled a little more cane sugar and cinnamon on the top. It was delicious!

6. Bake and enjoy!

Score the top. Bake on a cooking sheet at 500 degrees for about 7-9 minutes. Not too long or the sugar will burn. I left my in just a tad to long and the top is a little dark. But it didn’t taste burnt, just had a few rough edges.

More Dessert Calzone Toppings!

I hope this simple recipe encourages you to explore a little when making a dessert calzone. Its as simple a sprinkling a few ingredients that you like together to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here are some other ingredient combinations that you might enjoy.

S’mores Calzone

• Marshmallows
• Chocolate Chips
• Cinnamon
• Butter

Fruit Calzone

• Cream cheese
• powdered sugar
• blueberries and strawberries (or another favorite fruit)

White Chocolate Calzone

• White chocolate chips
• Cream cheese
• Sliced Almonds
• Nutmeg

Nutella Calzone

• Nutella (That would probably be enough…)

Be creative! There’s so many options out there and you will learn more about baking and cooking by trying new things then just following a recipe. So go for it!

Chocolate Cinnamon Calzone

Yield: 1 Calzone

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Make Pizza/Calzone dough
2. Roll out dough in a circle like a pizza
3. Put Butter, Brown Sugar, Chocolate Chips and Cinnamon on 1 half of the dough. leaving about an inch on the sides for sealing.
4. Fold over the dough on top of the filling. Push down on the edges to
   seal and twist and fold the edge into the calzone creating a swirly
   crust.
5. Use egg wash or melted butter on the top and sprinkle a litt more sugar and cinnamon on top.
6. Cut 5 steam holes on the top of the calzone
7. Bake at 500 degrees for 7-9 minutes.
8. Let cool and enjoy!

The post Simple Recipe for Dessert Calzones appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Why We Drink A Green Smoothie Every Day

As a mom I’m responsible for my kids health. I responsible to teach them and give them healthy habits to practice that will help sustain them so they can grow and thrive. So I do my best to make this smoothie something they will drink and enjoy without minimizing the nutrients.

I myself have epilepsy, and gut issues since childhood and after my last baby I gained a lot of weight and have had some major hormonal imbalances. So I curated this drink to fit my needs for healthy brain and nervous system, filled with vitamin B’s that help aid my hormonal imbalances, vitamin C and antioxidants that help with mine and my kids immune system and overall health all from real foods.

We’ve make a “healthy drink”, as my kids call them, faithfully every morning for the last month. It has not fixed all my problems but I have notice, in this small amount of time, drinking a green smoothie faithfully has lowered my crazy appetite, improved my PMS mood swings (Thank the Lord!), and given me more energy and better rest. My kids still got the flu that went around, I still get tired after long days, I haven’t lost any weight but I know healing takes time and a lot more work then just 1 smoothie a day.

All that to say, we are embracing our health one step at a time. Without overwhelm, bitter tonics or synthetic nutrients, but real food, easy to make, fun drink that doesn’t cost a fortune. I hope this recipe encourages you and help you embracing your families health with joy and peace.

This smoothie recipe can absolutely be adapted and I think everyone should adapt it in some way or another. My desire is to help you make a smoothie you enjoy and are able to drink every morning in order to add the nutrients you need to keep you strong and healthy.

Ingredients That Will Add High Nutrients To Your Green Smoothie

Chia Seeds 

2 tablespoons of chia seeds are full of magnesium (23% DV), iron (12% DV), phosphorus (20% DV), zinc (12% DV), thiamine (15% DV), niacin (16% DV), calcium (14% DV), fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Chia seeds are also a great source for Essential Amino Acids. Chia seeds are beneficial to your heart, bones, and nervous system. They are also knows for the reducing appetite and food intake and can be effective for loosing and maintaining weight.

Flax Seeds

1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds has thiamine (10% DV), Copper (9% DV) Manganese, (7% DV), Magnesium (7% DV), Phosphorus (4% DV), Selenium (3 %, DV), Zinc (3% DV), Vitamin B6 (2% DV), Iron (2% DV), Folate (2% DV). Flax seed is a great source for thiamine which is an important vitamin that help with our metabolism and cell function. Copper helps with brain development and immune health and helps our body’s absorb iron. Flax seeds is another great source for Essential Amino Acids.

I like to take both chia seeds and flax seeds together because one of them his high in iron while the other is high in copper. Copper helps iron absorb and along with protein they produce hemoglobin which transports oxygen in red blood cells.

There are so many other good combinations of vitamins and minerals that work together in just these two ingredients alone. We could go on but let’s move on.

Blackstrap Molasses

1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses can be powerful, manganese (37% DV), Copper (29% DV), Iron (25% DV), Calcium (15% DV), Potassium (8% DV), Magnesium (15% DV), Vitamin B6 (10% DV), Selenium (7% DV). These vitamins and minerals aid in the function of your nerves system, brain, blood and heart health, immune system and if you want go in more depth on the nutrients found in molasses read, “Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses“

*My kids will not drink this smoothie without a banana if it has molasses in it. Banana’s are the only thing that I found that mask the strong molasses flavor.

Lemon juice

Lemons are most commonly known as a high source of vitamin C, they also contain fiber and other beneficial plant compounds but lets focus on vitamin C for a minute. Vitamin C builds up your immunity, it strengthens you immune system helping fight off bacterial infections, allergies and even cancer. This vitamin plays an important role in the formation of collagen, helps with arthritis, lowers cholesterol, prevents constipation, keeps blood from clotting… and more. Vitamin C is important and 1 lemon has about 40 mg or 50% your DV of vitamin C. Lemon’s are a great source in vitamin C but not the greatest, Oranges, bell pepper, strawberries, broccoli, kale, have even more. Lemons are more acidic than these other fruits and vegetables and therefore increases urine pH making it harder for kidney stones to form.

Spinach

1 cup of raw spinach includes Vitamin A (16% DV), Vitamin C (9% DV), Vitamin K (121 % DV), Vitamin B9 (15% DV) , Iron (5% DV), Calcium (2% DV), Potassium (4% DV), Manganese (12% DV), Magnesium (6% DV). Raw spinach also contains some Essential Amino Acids but not nearly as much as flax and chia seeds do. Spinach is known for its plant compound, Lutein and zeaxanthin that work together to improve eye health. It also contains MGDG and SQDG both components that help slow down cancer growth. Spinach also has nitrates that moderate blood pressure and improve hearth health.

Spinach also contains calcium and oxalates, too much of these and they can cause a build up creating calcium stones or kidney stones… But don’t stress to much over this, 1 cup spinach in your smoothie should not cause kidney stones. Three reasons why: 1. you are also adding acidic lemon juice making it more difficult for the stones to form. 2. You are blending with water making it easier for you gut to break down and regulate the both calcium and oxalate in a way that’s beneficial to you. 3. Its only 1 cups, that not over doing it. Don’t be afraid to eat healthy foods because of what might happen. Do your research.

Vitamin K can also seem controversy as it is essential in clotting blood. We obviously don’t want blood clots in our arteries or veins but we do want our blood to clot when we get a cut or laceration so we don’t bleed out. Vitamin K keeps us from bleeding out while Vitamin C keeps our blood from clotting when its not supposed to. Its important to have both of them to keep the right balance.

Honey

Honey helps make this drink drinkable. Its sweetness makes life better. Not only that but its full of antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Honey helps build up your immune system and aids in fighting off colds and other viruses. Antioxidants protect cell’s from damage and in doing so protect you from cancer and heart disease.

Bananas

I have found my kids wont drink a smoothie unless there are banana’s in it. Bananas mask the molasses and spinach flavors just enough and sweeten the smoothie. One banana’s thankfully also are a great source of Vitamin C (12% DV), Copper (11% DV), Potassium (10% DV), Magnesium (8% DV) and more. Banana’s support your digestive system and aid you metabolism and are full of antioxidants. They are beneficial for heart health and the potassium helps regulate blood pressure.

Strawberries

1 cup frozen strawberries contain, Iron (9% DV), Potassium (7% DV), Magnesium (6% DV), Copper (12% DV), Manganese (28% DV), Selenium (3% DV), Vitamin C (101% DV). Strawberries are great for you immune system. They have lots of antioxidants and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. These sweet strawberries are known to slow down glucose digestion regulating your blood sugar. Strawberries are just one of the many berries that are so very good for you. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and also cherries, are all so very beneficial and can be substituted in this recipe

Learn more…

I hope you are encouraged and enlightened more than overwhelmed by all the information about the nutrients information of these ingredients. I hope adding a daily green smoothie to your day benefits you as much as it has me.

To learn more about the vitamins and minerals, amino acids and antioxidants that are in your foods check out “Healthy Healing” by Linda Page. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to learn more about how food heals the body.

If you want quick way to find out nutrition value of a specific food go to https://www.nutritionvalue.org/. You can type anything in and it will give the nutrition values or you can search for a vitamin or mineral and it will give you foods that are a good source for that vitamin.

Green Spinach Molasses Smoothie

Yield: 1-2 Glasses

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Flax Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses
• Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
• 1 Cup Frozen Spinach or 2 Cups Fresh Spinach
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (or to taste)
• 1/2-1 Banana
• 1 Cup Frozen Berries
• Water, fill to cover an 1/2 inch or so over

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to blender
2. Blend thoroughly so the flax seeds are completely ground. If you want to grind those up first you can.
3. Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

other ingredients to try: greek yogurt, orange juice, pineapple or pineapple juice, kale, ginger,During the cold and flu season I also add elderberry syrup

I hope this green smoothie recipe encourages and helps you get the nutrition you need each day. Again, don’t be afraid to adjust the recipe and if you do share in the comments how it turned out!

The post Green Spinach & Molasses Smoothie appeared first on Embracing The Home.

I’ve been experimenting with putting molasses in just about everything, from smoothies, to banana bread to pasta sauce… After learning about how good and high in nutrients molasses is I have been adding it to our daily diet in different types of ways. To read more about the benefits of molasses click here!

Ingredients For Banana Nut Molasses Bread

Vegan friendly alternatives below

Bananas

Ripe bananas are best, they are the sweet and easy to mash up and make into breads. You can use unripe but they are harder to mash so you might end up with more banana chunks in your bread. Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.

Plain or Vanilla Yogurt

I use Greek Plain Yogurt, I use yogurt in replacement for oils or butter in most of my muffins and bread. It has more vitamins and protein then oils and butter and less fat.

Eggs

Eggs are the binding agent in this recipe also adding 6.5 grams of protein per eggs. Whole Eggs also contain vitamin B12, selenium (anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and stimulates the immune system) and iron.

Blackstrap Molasses

Full of flavor, nutrients and keeps my breads moist and delicious! Oh how I love molasses! It is so rich in so many vitamins and minerals and such a fun ingredient to add to my recipes. Molasses contains, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, copper and more. healthy for your heart and nervous system. Read more on the Benefits of Molasses here!

Flour

I use a combination of organic whole wheat and organic all purpose flour. Whole wheat is full of a wider range of vitamins and minerals such as, manganese, calcium and selenium, then all purpose or even enriched flours. It also has more flavor but is also a bit more dense. So I do half and half whole wheat and all purpose.

Oats

Not just for texture sake but I do love the texture of oats in my breads and muffins. Oats are full of fiber and also contain protein, thiamine, iron, phosphorus and more.

Sugar

You can substitute sugar with honey or maple syrup. Both of those would also add a lovely flavor to this recipe but I typically bake with sugar and save my honey and syrup for smoothies, pancakes, teas, oatmeal and such.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the chosen spice in order to add another layer of flavor to this recipe. Nutmeg, cloves or allspice would also be great additions but this recipe already seem complex with so many textures that I left those out for now.

Salt

Salt is going to help bring out all the flavor in this recipe. You can use table salt or pink Himalayan salt or another sea salt will also works great.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder

Both of these are a rising agent. The original recipe just had baking soda but as I adapted and added all these heavy grains I found the baking powder was also needed.

Chia Seeds & Flax Seeds

Chia and flax seeds are small but mighty. The Chia seeds have more iron, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus while flax seeds have more copper, thiamine, a B vitamin that help with metabolism, flax is also full of good omega 3 fatty acids. It is better to grind your flax seeds before consuming but not always necessary. I usually leave them whole for this recipe.

Walnuts

Walnuts are also full of both omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants, they are also full of protein and they just taste delicious. You can substitute most any nut, almonds, pecans, hazel nut would be yummy. In the photos you might notice I added both walnuts and almonds this time.

Chocolate Chip (optional)

I could try to convince you that chocolate chip are a superfood by telling you about all the ways chocolate chips have reduced my stress and given me the endurance I needed that day but I don’t think I have to. I think you all know a little chocolate goes a long way. Although my kids and husband would prefer me to always add chocolate chip I only add it every so often as a treat. My way off making something ordinary, special.

Vegan Alternative Ingredients

• Yogurt/Applesauce.
  You can substitute yogurt for apple sauce at the same ratio and it will turn out the same.
• Eggs/Chia Seeds or Flax Seeds.
  Both of these are already in the bread but you must mix them with 1/2 c water and let them sit for a while before adding them to your batter. If you use the flax seeds for an egg substitute you will need to grind them in a coffee grinder first to get the correct reaction. You are looking to the seeds and water to get thick and gloppy, kinda like an egg.

How to Make Banana Nut Molasses Bread

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Because this bread is so moist with the bananas, molasses and yogurt plus the chia, flax and oats are holding on to water, you will want to bake this banana bread at a lower temperature for longer. Thus If the temperature is too hot you will burn the outside before the inside is done. Therefore this bread bakes for 60-70 minutes. Although a long time it does not dry out but stays moist.
2. Secondly, mash Bananas in a bowl, then add all the other wet ingredients. Eggs, yogurt and molasses. and put aside.
3. In a second bowl mix all your dry ingredients, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.
4. Now combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Pour into a 9.5×5 bread loaf pan or you can make muffins by pouring into a muffin tin. When making muffins or cupcakes I like to use these reusable silicone muffin liners.
6. Bake in loaf pan for 60 minutes at 300 degrees.
   Bake in muffin tin for 23-25 minutes at 300 degrees.
7. Check to see if its done by inserting a tooth pick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean it is done.
8. Finally, let the bread cool completely before cutting into it

How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread

This banana bread can be stored in a zip-lock bag on your counter for 3-5 days and in your refrigerator for 7-10 days.
You can also freeze a loaf but putting it in a freezer zip-lock bag. Be sure to remove all the air for save storage. Keep it in your freezer for 3-6 months. In order to thaw the banana bread out simply take it out and set in on the counter for a few hours or rather in the refrigerator overnight.

Banana Nut Molasses Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 3 Bananas
• 1 Cup Yogurt
• 1 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Molasses
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Oats
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Flax Seeds
• 1 Cup Walnuts
• 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chip (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mash Bananas in a bowl, then add all the other wet ingredients. Eggs, yogurt and molasses. and put aside.
3. In a second bowl mix all your dry ingredients, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Pour into a 9.5×5 bread loaf pan or you can make muffins by pouring into a muffin tin.
6. Bake in loaf pan for 60 minutes. Bake in muffin tin for 23-25 minutes
7. Let the bread cool completely before cutting into it. Enjoy!

The post Banana Nut Molasses Bread appeared first on Embracing The Home.

We love to eat our cornbread along with hearty bowl of Chili!
Click here for an amazing Vegan Chili Recipe

Ingredients Need for Cornbread

Flour

I buy my flour from Azure Standard. I buy in bulk Whole Wheat Bread flour and an All Purpose Flour and mix them 1 to 1 ratio in my flour jar. So for this recipe I am using about 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all purpose. Growing up we would sometimes do this but most of the time we simple used All Purpose Flour. I personally wouldn’t go all whole wheat, my husband would not like it and whole wheat does absorb liquids differently, so the recipe may not work perfectly 100% whole wheat.

Cornmeal

So I also buy my cornmeal in bulk from Azure Standard. This cornmeal is coarser then most that you will find at your local grocery stores but they work the same. No matter if its fine or coarse cornmeal the baking process will be the same but the texture does change. So, depending on your taste and what you like pick your cornmeal accordingly.

Sugar

There is a whole cup of sugar in this recipe. This recipe is sweet, not too sweet, just delicious. I’ve honestly never had any other cornmeal that is so perfectly sweet without overpowering the other flavors.

Baking Powder

Baking powder is the best raising agent for cornbread. Baking soda also works but raises it too quickly and makes it crumbly. So baking powder best.

Salt

Salt brings out the flavor. Table salt is what I’ve always used for this recipe. If you prefer a coarser sea salt or Himalayan salt add an extra 1/4 teaspoon.

Milk

I always use regular old cows milk. I have made this recipe with rice milk before as well when I was out of regular milk. Rice milk is a little sweeter and the recipe needed to be cooked longer but it still worked out I just had to pay attention to it. So if you are wanting to substitute for a plant based milk I’d say go for it. Some plant based milks are sweeter so if you want to cut some sugar go ahead. Then make sure you check it after 25 minutes and possible keep it in the over for a few more minutes till the center is baked all the way. To check you can poke it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean its done.

Eggs

Eggs are a binding agent when it comes to baking. They also help keep the cornbread moist. If you are looking to substitute to make this cornbread vegan you can add 2 tablespoon chia seed to 2/3 cup water. Let sit for 15 minutes to thicken then add the milk.

Oil

I’ve used coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and even butter for this recipe. This time around I used coconut. I did have to heat it to ensure that it was liquefied but it still works. Olive oil is what I grew up using for this recipe.

I buy my flour, cornmeal, sugar, oil, baking powder and so much more from Azure Standard. Learn more about Azure Standard by checking out “Azure Standard Review, Pro’s, Con’s, Price Comparison” or check out their website here, azurestandard.com. They are a great resource to high quality organic whole food in bulk.

How to Make Cornbread

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. This will be the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a whisk.
   
3. Mix in a suppurate bowl all the wet ingredients, milk, eggs, and oil. If you use coconut oil make sure you milk is warm so that the coconut oil doesn’t become solid again. I placed my milk and oil in the microwave for a minutes to come to the same temperature so they would mix well. This seemed to work but I still prefer olive oil for this recipe.
   
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients to make a batter.
   
5. Prepare a 9×13 glass pan by greasing it will a little bit of oil.
   
6. Pour you batter into prepared 9×13.
   
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
   
8. Take our of oven and let it cool completely before cutting into it.

This is seriously my favorite cornbread recipe and I could eat it all day. I try a lot of different recipes for things but this one never fails. It brings back childhood memories but its not the memories that make this cornbread good. Its the cornbread. Its so good and always has been.

The Best Cornbread

Yield: 9x13 Pan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Flour
• 2 Cups Cornmeal
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree’s
2. Grease a 9×13 glass pan
3. Mix dry ingredients
4. Mix wet ingredients
5. Combine the wet and the dry and mix
6. Pour into prepared 9×13
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes
8. Cool completely before serving

The post The Best Homemade Cornbread appeared first on Embracing The Home.