Another week bites the dust...

This week has been a blur. Sunday morning I woke up wondering how many hours until bedtime; when I fell asleep with a book in my lap on Sunday night I knew I had some catching up to do. Apparently, my body was determined to get me to rest, and protested with sickness. I got the rest I needed and then was up and running again. Sweet A and I had a girl day and did a yearly grain purchase this week...corn, wheat, rice, beans, honey, etc. I'm a bulk foods geek. Buying a hundred pounds of anything just seems fun (as long as I'm not loading/unloading). My siblings say I was born old...maybe Depression Era old?

When I was picking up the grain I got to spend a little time at a favorite fabric store about an hour away. I discovered that they have a warehouse in the back where you can buy fabric for $1/lb. I also picked up some oilcloth and foam to make the kids foam/bean bag booster seats. I made the first one today, and I think it's going to work well. I'm also working on a few birthday projects for Sweet A and some new bibs for my slob baby. Each child I have is a little messier than the first. Could it be that I'm just less concerned with toddler manners as I get busier with more kids?

Speaking of Baby T, he will be starting college in no time. Or so it seems...we moved him to a toddler bed last night. We're just trying it out to see if we he can handle it. He is a fairly compliant child (or maybe he just seems compliant compared to child #2) and is getting the idea that he is not supposed to get out of his bed. However, this morning we discovered he knows how to lock his door. At 16 months he is young to move to a bed, but we are having a friend come stay with us for an extended visit, and I don't really want to make her share a room with a toddler. This is the first time we've moved a toddler to a bed for a reason other than someone else needed the crib, a fact the children remind me of on a daily basis. If it were up to them we would have a steady stream of babies filing in to join our family.

They think they are so smart to come up with improvised skates. I think it's hilarious...so do the neighbors.

Letter of the week:

Doing a little freezer paper stenciling...poor man's screenprinting. Coolest thing ever. Or at least for this week.

So now that I've made a case for my busyness, I can tell you that the recipes I've included for this week's

FRIDAY WHOLE FOOD RECIPE REVIEW

are not all tested by me (or even close relations). They are all recipes I have either made or planned to make today, but didn't because I ran out of time and energy. So I'll edit it later on and tell you how it all turned out.

Whole wheat tortillas...not as hard as you think

(Original recipe source: Passionate Homemaking)

I've made these tortillas twice in the last week, and they are really easy and so much better than store-bought. About a year ago my husband asked me to quit buying whole wheat tortillas because they always fall apart. These are so much better, and if you want you can roll them out thicker and use them as a pita bread type sandwich wrap. We use them for burritos, enchiladas, and salad wraps (chicken, tuna, etc.). If you do use 100% whole wheat I recommend following her directions for soaking the grain ahead of time. It takes no extra work, just a little thought, and it makes whole grain foods less dense (among a ton of other benefits).

3 cups whole wheat or kamut flour
1 cup warm filtered water
1 Tbsp acid medium (kefir, whey, buttermilk, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice)
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Combine flour, water, melted coconut oil or butter and 1 Tbsp of acid medium. Cover and soak at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
2. After soaking, add baking powder and salt to soaked flour mixture, kneading in the flour until the dough is workable but not too stiff.
3. Shape into 8 – 10 balls and let stand 10 more minutes.
4. Roll to form a 10 inch circle or use a tortilla press.
5. Bake on a lightly greased griddle till done (not browned). Toast for about 20-30 sec. per side.

Yield: 8-10 tortillas.

Barbecue chicken...homemade barbecue sauce

(Original recipe source: Nourishing Days)

ETA: This sauce was great. I made it twice, and the first time I didn't chop the onions small enough so that was a little weird. The second time I used dried minced onion. I didn't have any chipotle, so I'm sure I missed out on that little kick. All in all, I was pleased, but I'd love to hear other recommendations and compare ingredients.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or unrefined coconut oil
• 1 cup minced fresh onion or 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt or 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
• 3 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (preferably ground fresh)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/3 teaspoon ground chipotle (smoked dried jalapeno pepper)
• 1 teaspoon dried crumbed basil
• 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled oregano, optional
• 1 (6-ounce) can salt-free, sugar-free tomato paste
• 1 1/4 cups water, preservative-free chicken broth or diluted or full-strength chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or 3 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon stevia extract powder ***(since making this recipe again I have found 1/4 teaspoon to be too much and usually start with 1/8 teaspoon)***
• 1 tablespoon honey, optional

1. Heat oil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring to low boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer with lid ajar to reduce splattering, stirring periodically until mixture thickens, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Pour into wide-mouth glass jar, allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate. Use within 2 weeks or freeze.

Baked Beans
(Original recipe source: Alton Brown, via Lauren)

ETA: I was so glad for this recommendation, because the healthy version I made over the weekend was not worth mentioning. Edible, but nothing I'd like to repeat. (Thanks family- and friends- for not mentioning it!) Lauren left a comment saying she'd made these, and I've had a lot of her cooking so I look forward to trying it! If you are avoiding sugar you could probably replace the brown sugar with stevia or honey, but I think the molasses probably adds what my beans were missing.