Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe to make with your children

My favorite time of year, hands down, is Fall. The change of season, the change of weather, the crisp sweater feel, the leaves, the smells...and the spices, oh yes, the spices! I love cinnamon and I am so excited to share with you a delicious recipe that not only children will enjoy, but it is healthy and they can actually help you make.

Homemade Cleaners Round-up -Hip Homeschool Moms

If you have been looking for ways to save money and be more eco-friendly as you clean your home, look no further.
Here we have put together an amazing round-up of homemade recipes that will not only make your home beautifully clean (because they work so well), but they will also save you money.

 

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Eggless and Dairy-free Delicious Banana Bread

This is the most delicious banana bread that I have had and I totally discovered it, after trying several recipes and not finding one that I really loved. I guess that if you want something to be right, you gotta do it yourself! Haha!
This bread is spongy, moist, delicious and healthy. It truly is amazing and easy to make.

February Packet Review From Little Natural Cottage

Stephanie's Squash Bread Rolls Recipe

This recipe is definitely a keeper!!! Trust me!

*** My personal notes are in red.

1 1/2 cups cubed winter squash (I have used acorn squash, butternut squash and sweet potato... all delicious)
1 cup warm milk (I use almond milk or coconut milk or heavy whipping cream)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 
1/2 cup warm water (to activate the yeast) 
6 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1-1.5 cups sorghum flour and the rest is unbromated, unbleached flour)
1/2 cup white sugar (I use coconut sugar)
2 teaspoons salt (I use Kosher salt)
1/2 cup butter (room temperature) (I use ghee -clarified butter-)
Coconut Oil (for greasing) (can use other oils if you want)

Boil or roast any winter squash (acorn, spaghetti, butternut, etc.) and mash to smooth consistency (my favorite is butternut squash) (I steam the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes or roast the winter squashes for an hour at 450)

For the next four steps, I take the easy route: I put all wet ingredients in my bread machine and then all the dry ones on top. :)
In a small bowl mix yeast and warm water together
In large kitchen aid bowl mix dry ingredients: 5 cups flour, sugar, and salt together. 
Then add wet ingredients: yeast/water mix, squash, milk, and butter. 
After well mixed (about 2 minutes) slowly add the last cup of flour and kneed on a slow setting until well blended and supple


Lightly grease a large bowl and put dough in turning it to coat with the oil. 
Put damp cloth over dough bowl and let rise for about an hour (dough should double in size) (I just unplug my bread machine and let it rise in there)

Power baking pans (for non-stickiness) (I’ve noticed greasing them tends to burn the bottoms of the rolls)
Split dough into 12-18 rolls (depending what size you want) onto pans (They turn out huge. I like to make them smaller for the kids, so I end up with at least 24 rolls)

Put damp cloth over rolls and let rise again for 30-45 minutes
Preheat oven to 400F
Bake rolls for 10-15 minutes (depending on size rolls)
Enjoy!

Recipe by my wonderful friend, Stephanie Maxwell. Thank you for letting me share!

Homemade Pancake Mix

Homemade Pancake Mix 

(not sure where I got this from, but it's wonderful)

I mix 3 batches of dry ingredients in mason jars to have ready to use. 

Just add wet ingredients and voilá.

Why don't I just buy pancake mix? You know, the kind that says "just add water?"  Well, I did a lot of research and those mixes contain way too many ingredients that I don't feel comfortable with, including soy flour. So I found this homemade mix. I made some changes (noted in parentheses below) and it makes delicious and much healthier pancakes.

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup flour (I use 1 cup unbromated flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp baking powder (I use aluminum free baking powder)

1 1/4 tsp sugar (I use coconut sugar)

WET INGREDIENTS

1 egg (I use cage free)

1 1/2 cups milk (I use homemade almond milk)

1/2 tbsp butter, melted or sofened (I use softened coconut oil)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I use blueberries, mashed banana or a mix of both)

Mix all DRY ingredients.

Mix in all WET ingredients, except for fruit.

Add fruit. 

Scoop 1/4 cup batter per pancake.

Makes about a dozen pancakes or about 5 regular-sized waffles.

Super Easy Personal Pizza Recipes

Greatest idea: I used the naan recipe (click here to see it) and placed them on pizza stones.
Then I added garlic, ghee, cheese, sliced tomatoes and red bell peppers, spinach, organic Italian seasoning and put them in the oven for 15 min at 450 (turned oven on when I put them in, so 15 min total). Voilá! Delicious homemade thin crust personal pizzas!

Tawa Naan (flatbread) Recipe

This recipe is adapted from:
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
I am posting it step by step because I have made several changes to the recipe that works better for my family's needs.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
3/4 tbsp yeast
3 3/4 cups flour (I use unbleached, unbromated flour)
generous pinch of kosher or sea salt

1.  **If you have a bread maker, it'll be easier.
     Just put all ingredients in it and let it run until all ingredients are incorporated and the dough is sticky (about 10 min).
     -If you don't have one, no worries. Just use a big mixing bowl. Put in yeast and water. Wait a minute or two for the yeast to be activated. Then add salt and flour. Knead until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is very sticky.
2.  **Unplug bread maker and let it rest for 20-30 min.
     -Cover the bowl for 20-30 minutes.
3.  Tear off rounds that are the size of your fist or a small orange and put it on a floured surface. I like my Pampered Chef baking mat (see in first picture).
4.  Use a rolling pin to make the naan. They are usually oblong in shape, but you can make them any shape you want (they'll taste just as delicious), as long as there are no holes on the dough and that they're not too thick.
5.  Heat a skillet or two or three (like me). Medium heat works very well.
6.  Brush some ghee, butter or oil.
7.  Place naan on it and flip after about 1-2 minutes (check that the bottom side is starting to get a few brown spots).
8.  Flip and cook for a minute or two.
9.  Enjoy. 

                    

We use this to eat with hummus and I even use this recipe as a pizza crust. For that, just preheat oven at 475 degrees, make your dough, assemble your pizza or personal pizzas and put in oven for 16-18 minutes (maybe 20 for a large pizza with a thick crust).

Kale chips

Raw banana oat chocolate macaroons (vegan, gluten free, nut free)

I got my original recipe from this website. Click here. 
The only reason why I am posting her recipe here is because I have made changes that work better for my family's needs and I point out those changes here.

Delicious stuff! Definitely everyone's favorite here at home. Even my 1-year old loved them. I gave some to her because they are soooo good and soooo healthy. She couldn't get enough! :)
Here's the recipe. My changes are in blue in parentheses.

No Bake Chocolate Macaroons

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, grain-free

Yield: 12 macaroons (I got 24  1 tablespoon-size macaroons)

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, finely mashed  (I used 2 bananas)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)* (I used less than 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted  (I used only 3 tbsp and they were pretty chocolatey)
• 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (I used 1 cup coconut and 1/2 cup gluten free oats)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional) (I didn't use, I'll definitely try it next time)
• small pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste  (skipped this one, too)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the banana until most of the clumps are gone. 
Stir in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.

2. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir until combined. 
Now stir in the coconut, optional chia seeds, and fine grain sea salt to taste.

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat. 
Using a spoon or retractable ice cream scooper, scoop rounds onto the sheet. 
Place sheet in the freezer for around 20 minutes, or until macaroons are firm. 

Store in the freezer until ready to enjoy. They will soften at room temperature.

Note: 1/4 cup pure maple syrup results in a lightly sweet macaroon. 
Feel free to adjust the sweetener to your own taste buds, especially because some cocoa powders may be stronger than others.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipes

These homemade cinnamon rolls are one of the breakfasts that my family lives for! They are so good! I've made them so many times, that now, I feel very confident substituting ingredients to see how well they turn out.  Let me post the original recipe first and then give you a few variations that I've liked.

 

Homemade almond milk and almond meal

Make your own almond milk!!!!

It is very easy and I will give you all of the instructions to make it. 

I'm going a bit simpler than the versions I've found online, so bear with me.

First of all, why make my own almond milk when I can easily go buy some at the store?  

Ummm, have you seen the ingredients list on the carton?  

Have you looked at the grams of sugar, etc?  

Have you seen the price tag on almond milk?

Clearly, making your own isn't hard and you will be saving almost a dollar for every half gallon you make as opposed to buying it.  More importantly, you won't be using any sugar, sweeteners, thickeners, or obscure ingredients.

On top of that, you don't toss the almond meal (what is left after you squeeze the milk out), but it's actually almond flour and you can use it for lots of things! I'll make sure and write more on this (including recipes) at the end of the post.

Take a look and see how easy it is!

One half (1/2) cup of almonds will make 2 cups of almond milk.

One cup of almonds will make one quart (4 cups) of almond milk.

Two cups of almonds will make one half gallon (8 cups) of almond milk.

Four cups of almonds will make one gallon (16 cups) of almond milk.

1) You need: 

  -  raw almonds (I bought mine at Sam's Club because they have an incredible deal)

  -  purified water (I prefer spring water, but purified will do fine)

  -  blender

  -  colander and cheesecloth or rag

  -  a large container or a few smaller containers to hold the milk

  -  OPTIONAL: if you find that the milk is too "blah", then you can use raw honey or dates to taste. You can also add a few drops of organic vanilla extract. I find that my milk lasts longer (by a couple of days or so) when I add a little bit of organic raw honey. It sweetens it a little bit, but I think that the antibacterial and antifungal properties in honey make the milk last longer.

2)  Soak the almonds overnight. This is very important for many reasons. One of them is to prep the almonds to make the milk, but also to remove the phytic acid on them.  

Please read more on this link.

Rinse the almonds a few times if you can, but soak for about 8 hours.  Make sure the almonds are 

completely submerged in the water (water goes about an inch above the almonds because as they soak the water, they will expand).

3)  Rinse and spread them on a piece of cloth or kitchen towel to sprout for a day or two. You can totally skip this part if you are pressed for time. Your milk won't taste better or worse, it'll just be healthier if you let the almonds sprout. 

4) Put the almonds in the blender with the correct amount of water according to how many cups of almonds you are using (see above).  For example, in the pictures, I used 1.5 cups of almonds and added  6 cups of water (it's 2 cups of water per half cup of almonds).  It made 3 mason jars' worth of almond milk or 6 cups' worth. 

5)  Blend, blend, blend until you can see that the almonds are pretty fine grains.  Taste a little bit of it to see if it's got enough flavor for you.  If it doesn't, then add either raw honey or dates and blend some more.  This is strictly up to you and your taste buds.  I don't add anything to it.

6)  Pour the almond milk into a container using a colander with a rag or cheesecloth folded a few times to make sure you don't get any bits of almond in there (unless you like it with texture).  Let the milk drain through (be patient, you might need to let it sit there for 10-20 minutes).  Squeeze the excess milk out of the cheesecloth or rag.  KEEP THE ALMOND MEAL!!!

7)  Pour the milk into your container(s) and voilá! You're done!  The milk needs to be shaken every time before use.  It needs to be refrigerated and it will last about a week (give or take).

And now for the almond meal:

Almond meal is what is left over from the almonds that you blended to make the almond milk.  It is very important that it dries up completely before using and before storing.

The almond meal will be pretty moist after he milk has been squeezed out of it.  What I do is spread it thin all on a large bar pan (Pampered Chef stoneware) because it absorbs liquids and let it sit like that for a few hours.  Then I mess around with it and undo all the small clumps while I set the oven to 250 degrees.  I throw it in there for about an hour.  Some people leave the oven door cracked so the moisture can escape and dry it faster. I can't do that cause I have little ones, but it still works.  Once it's out, I leave it on the stove or counter and mess around with it (swish it around on the cookie sheet) until I feel it's completely dry.  I could tell because it not only felt dry, but it was easier to move around (think wet vs. dry sand, sort of).

If you used a cup of almonds to make almond milk, you will get about a cup of almond meal, so make your calculations according to any recipes you want to use it with.

Here are some recipes for almond meal:

-  Use it in oatmeal, yogurt, on fruit, cereal, cookies, muffins, etc.
-  http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/almondmeal.htm

Enjoy and let me know what you think. :D