Peanut Butter & Honey Balls

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Honey

1 cup powdered milk

Mix everything together until well blended. Roll into about 30 balls. Creamy peanut butter makes a smoother snack. Can melt chocolate chips and decorate top or dip balls in the chocolate. Or just add chocolate chips to each ball.  Enjoy!

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

***This is a great recipe to use up extra veggies you may have accumulated throughout the week***

Ingredients:

1/2 package rice stick noodles
1 cup mixed veggies of choice, julienned or chopped small
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt, more to taste
cayenne, to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk
pinch stevia or drizzle honey, as desired

2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

To prepare:

1. Cook noodles as package directions. In the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, add vegetables and blanch. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil on medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and ginger, cooking for one minute, stirring well.

3. Add spices and toast, stirring constantly. Add coconut milk, salt and cayenne to taste.

4. Transfer coconut milk/onion mix to a small blender and puree. Add pinch of stevia, more cayenne or salt to taste.

5. Pour sauce over noodle/vegetable mix and stir to combine. Divide on plates and top with green onions and cilantro.

Serves 3-4

Grandma's Oatmeal and Chip Cookies from Naiyana

Cream Together:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons hot water
6 eggs

Mix and then add:

1 1/3 cup powdered milk (optional)
5 cups white flour + 1 cup wheat flour or or all 6 cups white flour
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
6 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips

Bake for 9 minutes at 350.

Helpful Articles about Meal Planning

Check out these articles for more tips on meal planning!


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765563236/No-coupons-Secrets-to-beat-rising-food-costs.html


http://www.ksl.com/?nid=968&sid=20050555&s_cid=rss-968

Benefits of Meal Planning (Notes from our activity)

I. Why is it important to meal plan?

1. Save money with less frequent trips to the store (on average people impulse spend $20 with each grocery store visit, if you 3 times a week and  you cut it to one, you will save $40 a week).
2. Eliminate waste (especially produce).
3. Healthier for your family to eat at home than to eat fast food or restaurants.
4. Relieves stress during the most stressful time of the day, since you know what is for dinner.
5. Couponing, though good, can be time-consuming. Generally the coupons are for name-brand foods (which are more expensive), and has you buying more processed foods.

II.  Tips for meal planning

1. Whether you plan for a week or a month, you need to look at your calendar and take into account special occasions (birthdays, family gatherings, kids' games, etc.).  This will help you know when you  need fast meals with little prep or larger, more time-intensive meals.
2. Make a list and stick to it when you are at the store.
3. Make your meal plan based upon what is on sale instead of just throwing out random recipes (everything goes on sale at some point).
4. Before shopping go through your recipes to see what you have and what you will need, so you won't have to make an extra trip to the store.
5. It is best to shop on Wednesday or Thursday, but regardless pick a day and plan your  menus.
6. Plan to eat leftovers whether it is for lunch or to freeze for another day or reinvent  them to make another meal the next night (taco soup becomes taco salad; pot roast becomes beef fajitas; grilled chicken becomes stir-fry).
7. It is always cheaper to cook from scratch.
8. Eat seasonally.
9. Consider a meal swap to build recipes or try new ones.
10. Price match to save time and money at Walmart.
11. When buying in bulk, pay attention to the price per unit.  It is not always cheaper.
12. Keep track of food prices.
13. Group recipes that use the same meats on sale. 

Thanks Laura!

Recipes from our latest activity (easy and quick dinners)

Green Chile Casserole

1 lb hamburger
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles
Corn Tortillas 
Cheese

Brown the hamburger and drain.  Add Cream of Mushroom soup and green chiles.  Salt and pepper the mixture to your taste.  Tear corn tortillas into fourths.  Completely cover the bottom of an 8x8 pan with torn tortillas.  Add 1/3 hamburger mixture.  Repeat two more times.  Cover the top with as much cheese as you like.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  If really in a hurry, you can cook in microwave for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts.  You are only heating this.

My favorite side for this is corn bake.  Make the corn mixture first and put it in the oven while you put together the casserole. 

Corn Bread Casserole

1 pkg Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
1 Stick melted butter
8 oz. Sour Cream
1 can drained whole kernel corn
1 can cream style corn
1 TBS sugar
3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all together and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown on top and no longer jiggly.


Creamy Italian Chicken
2 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups milk
1- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 packet dry Italian Salad Dressing mix
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9X13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Place chicken breasts in the pan in a single layer.  Using an electric mixer in a medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients until smooth.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover with foil and bake 1 hour.  If using frozen chicken, bake 1 hour 30 minutes.


Note:  If using a slow cooker, place chicken in slow cooker, add 1/4 cup water and Italian Dressing mix.  Cook on low for 3 hours.  In separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients, pour over chicken and cook 1 hour longer.  Stir sauce and serve over rice.


Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce
This last one is not a quick and easy dinner, but it really sounds good.  Thanks Shelby!
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/04/vegan-enchiladas-with-cilantro-avocado-cream-sauce-2/

Recipes Using Bread Dough

Cheese Wraps by Jeannie Thrower

Your favorite bread dough
Leftover cheese ball or any other cheese

Simply wrap small bits of cheese completely in bread dough and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. 
Serve Warm


Pepperoni Monkey Bread by Laura Rowbury

A loaf of your favorite bread dough divided into 32 balls
32 slices of pepperoni
32 bite size blocks of mozerella cheese (I cut up string cheese 5-6 per stick)
1/2 stick butter
Garlic salt or Italian seasonings
Favorite Marinara sauce for dipping

Grease a bundt pan well.  Press each ball out dough out into a circle just bigger than the pepperoni.  Place a pepperoni and cheese block in the center of the circle.  Pinch the edges together until it is a ball that is completely sealed.  Layer in bundt pan, brushing each layer with butter and sprinkling with garlic salt or italian seasonings.   Cover and let rise until double in size (it will vary depending on your dough).  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.   Dump out on a plate and serve warm with marinara sauce.

Emergency Preparedness Conference

Check out this conference and attend, if you can.  
http://www.freefood2go.com/expo.php

More Bread Recipes!

From Nelva:

Whole Wheat Bread

 5 1/2 C. Hard White Wheat

4 C. Hard Red Wheat

Ground to Flour

Add

2 T. SAF yeast or other instant yeast

3 Heaping T. Sweet Dairy Whey (available at www.americanspice.com)

Stir into the flour

2 1/2 C. Boiling Water

2 1/2 C. Cold Water

1 T. Salt

1/2 C. Honey

1/2 C. Canola Oil

Add flour mixture to formula water mixture 1 c. or so at a time until dough begins to wipe down sides of bowl.  Mix for 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 4 even loaves, shape into loaf pans and let rise about 1/2 hour (do not let double in size).  Start in a cold oven.  375 degrees, 35 minutes (depending on your oven).

From Shelby:

James and Shelby's Bread

6 cups hot water (110 degrees)

3 T. SAF instant yeast

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup applesauce

2 T. salt

5 cups oats

6+ cups wheat flour (add until dough pulls away from the mixer)

5+ cups white flour (add until dough pulls away from the mixer)

1/4 cup flax seed

Bosch method:  Add hot water, yeast, honey, applesauce, and salt.  Turn mixer on and begin adding grains and flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Mix for about six minutes or so.  You can either let it rise in the bowl for 10 or 20 minutes, or put it directly on the counter for kneading.  I haven't noticed a difference personally.  Cut dough into equal portions.  I do four loaves at a time, but it depends on the size of your pans.  Lightly knead and shape into loaves.  Decorate loaves if desired, or brush tops of loaves with water and roll in grains (i.e. oats, nine grain, etc.).  Place dough in pans sprayed with Pam or greased.  Let rise for about 20 minutes or until the dough reaches the top of the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 to 35 minutes.  Enjoy!

Note:  I play around with different grains a lot.  I occasionally add some nine grain or spelt flour or millet; just whatever I am in the mood for.  Play around and find what your taste buds like. If I put a cup of nine grain in, for example, though, I would minus a cup of oats or flour etc. Your consistency should not be too sticky.

From Rochelle Pinnock:

Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day

3 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 T granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)

1 1/2 T coarse kosher or sea salt

6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour

Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container. Don't worry about getting it all to dissolve.

Mix in the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don't knead! This step is done within a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours.  You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife.  Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four "sides," rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of of four bunched ends.  Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn't need to be incorporated.  The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

Place the ball on the pizza peel (with corn meal or parchment to keep it from sticking).  Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone in the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray for holding water in.

Slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top.  (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. 

Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks (if it will last that long).

Another from Rochelle Pinnock:

Multi-Grain Sunflower Bread

1 cup lukewarm water

2 T honey or brown sugar

2 t instant yeast

2 T vegetable oil

1 1/4 t salt

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 cups bread flour

Mixing:  In a large bowl, combine the first three ingredients. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast.  Add the rest of the ingredients (flour last, added a little at a time) and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also mix or knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy, though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping:  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log.  Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly-greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 45 to 60 minutes, until it's crowned about 1 inch about the edge of the pan.  A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.  

Baking;  Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, until it's light golden brown.  Store bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Yield:  1 loaf

From Annette Jeppson:

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Roll Bread

Mix together in bowl:

10 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup quick oats

1 Tbsp salt

3 Tbsp Instant Yeast

2 Tbsp dough enhancer

1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

1/2 cup honey powder

Add:

1/2 cup oil

 5-6 cups hot water

1 cup chopped, sliced almonds.  Optional, add after dough forms

Mix 2 minutes, adjusting water to make soft dough that cleans the sides of the bowl.  Mix 8 more minutes.  Turn out onto sprayed counter and cut into 4 loaves.  Roll each into a long, narrow rectangle.  Brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Add raisins, if desired, then roll up and seal edges well.  If you just want one cinnamon loaf, just roll the others regular.  Put loaves in sprayed pan upside down, then dump out and put back in right side up.  Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  

Thanks ladies!  We're so excited to try these new recipes!

Bread Recipes

From Naiyana

1 Hour Bread

5 1/4 cups white BREAD FLOUR  or wheat (do not use all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1 /2 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid lecithin  (2 tablespoons for wheat)
2 cups HOT tap water

Mix dry ingredients.  Add lecithin and water.  Mix for 1 minute and check consistency.  If dough is too dry, add more water,  Dough should be very sticky.  Mix for 5 minutes.  (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.)  Spray counter and pans with Pam.  Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel.  Let raise 25 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Makes 2 loaves of bread in Kitchenaid.  Double this recipe for 4 loaves of bread in a Bosch.  

From Laura Rowbury

Makes 4 loaves

In your bosch mix all of the dry ingredients

Dry Ingredients

12 cups whole wheat or white flour

2 Tablespoons SAF yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/3 cup powdered milk (optional)

Add wet ingredients

1/2 cup butter crisco

5 cups hot tap water

Mix well and then continue to mix for 5 minutes on medium speed. Spray countertop with pam and transfer dough to the countertop. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes. Shape into 4 loaves, let raise 30 minutes then bake at 350 for 25-30 min.


From Cristall

Whole Wheat Bread (Adapted from Mama Harper’s bread recipe)

Makes 4 loaves – 3 1/2 hours start to finish

¼ c. sugar

1 c. very warm water

3 T. yeast

2 c. scalded milk (heat until little bubbles form around the edge)

2 T. salt

½ c. canola oil

½ c. honey

1¼ c. warm water

5 c. all-purpose white flour, preferably unbleached

1/4 c. cracked 9-grain mix (in Good Earth’s bulk section)

1/4 c. ground flax seed meal

Scant ½ c. vital wheat gluten

5 c. whole wheat flour, freshly ground if available

In a bowl, whisk the ¼ cup sugar in the 1 cup very warm water until the sugar dissolves and then whisk in the yeast. Set it aside to rise. Add 2 cups of milk to a small pot over high heat and wait for it to scald. Meanwhile, in your Bosch mixer, add the 2 T. salt, ½ cup canola oil, ½ cup honey, and 1¼ cup warm water. As soon as the milk is scalded, add it too. Mix. Add 5 cups of all-purpose white flour. Mix well. Add the 9-grain mix, ground flax seed meal and vital wheat gluten. Mix well. Add the now-puffy yeast mixture. Mix well. Add 5 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix for 10 minutes. The sides of the bowl should be clean and the dough should push back when you poke it.

Spray a very large bowl with PAM. Add the dough and cover it with PAM-sprayed Saran Wrap. Let it rise for 45 minutes until doubled. Knead it down and let it rise until doubled again for another 45 minutes. Knead it down and let it rest for 5 minutes. Spray 4 loaf pans with PAM. I use 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5” aluminum bread pans.

Form 4 equal loaves from the dough and put each in a sprayed loaf pan. Cover the loaves loosely with Saran Wrap and let them rise for 30-35 minutes. 

Preheat your oven to 375̊. The dough will be fast or slow to rise depending on the outside weather and the temperature of your kitchen. Be sure the dough has risen above the edge of the pan before putting the loaves in the oven; they’ll rise even more when baking. Bake at 375̊ for 15 minutes and then 300̊ for 30 minutes. Done! Older bread makes amazing French Toast. If you freeze the loaves, put them in the freezer just before they’re done cooling and they’ll taste fresher when thawed. Thaw on the countertop.

More recipes to come.  Stay tuned!

Becoming Self-Reliant

• Learn to love work and avoid idleness.
• Acquire a spirit of self-sacrifice.
• Accept personal responsibility for spiritual strength.
• Accept personal responsibility for health, education, employment, finances, food, and other life-sustaining necessities.
• Pray for faith and courage to meet challenges that come.
• Strengthen others who need assistance.

Gardening Advice from Nelva

There will be an orchard pruning demonstration on February 29th from 2-4pm in Lindon at 35 East 200 North, at the home of Christine College.  If you are interested, please call Christine at 801-785-0147 to RSVP.  This demonstration is being done by the Utah County Extension services.  The Utah County Extension office can be reached at 801-851-8479.

February 15th is time to start those tiny seed plants, such as lobelia, petunias, etc. in window boxes or the greenhouse.  Also, as soon as the ground can be worked, you can plant the green leafy vegetables in your garden such as lettuce, spinach, radishes.  The way to tell if your ground is ready, take a handful of dirt and squeeze.  When you open your hand and the ground falls apart, it is ready to be worked.