Giveaway

Modern Mrs. Darcy is having a giveaway! Check it out and enter to win!

Squatty Potty

Remember this post where I talked about how we're not really intended to sit on a toilet like chair, but to squat?

Check out the Squatty Potty Toilet Stool! It's a brilliant product, and their video is rather hilarious:



Squatty Potty Toilet Stool Helps Prevent Colon Cancer from Judy Edwards on Vimeo.

They sell on Amazon.com for $29.95 to $69.99.

Kefir: What It Is, Why You Should Drink It, and How You Make It

Ran across this on my private journal and thought I should share it with you all. I wrote this back it 2007 after I first started making my own kefir, back when I was still ill with Lyme disease:

It's been suggested that I write something for a community I'm in, about kefir. I've never considered myself to be a very good writer, and add to that the brain-fog related to my Lyme disease that's been flaring up lately, and you may very well be in for a painfully retarded post. The brain fog makes it not only more difficult to think of certain words, but it also affects my ability to be clear and concise. So forgive me if this is neither (though I will do my best!). Oh, and it also increases my preexisting tendency to write pointless rambling paragraphs. ;)


 "What is kefir?" 


 The first question people inevitably ask about kefir is "What is it?" So I shall tell you. Kefir is fermented milk (any kind of milk; cow, goat, sheep... camel; even non-mammalian milk such as soy and coconut milk will produce kefir*). The name kefir comes from the Turkish word "keif" which is loosely translated "good feeling" or "feeling good". Some alternate names for kefir include "Tibetan Mushrooms", "Snow Lotus", and "Yogurt Plant" to name a few. "Yogurt plant! Ah, so it's like yogurt, right?" It is vaguely similar (in fact, much of the kefir you can buy in the store is not real kefir at all, but thin yogurt). So if that's the case, why bother with kefir, right? Yogurt is easier to come by, so why not just stick to that? Because kefir (real kefir, at least) is chock full of vitamins and probiotics that your poor yogurt only dreams of having (comparing yogurt to kefir is kind of like comparing Chuck Norris to Jack Bauer -- they're both people, but that's about the extent of their similarities; yogurt and kefir both come from milk, but that's about the extent of their similarity -- it's also a funny comparison since Jack Bauer's real name is Keifer Sutherland. Hah). And because of it's high vitamin and probiotic content, kefir is ideal for those who are struggling with illnesses of any kind, or simply those who are trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle in this crazy world that attacks such a thing from every angle imaginable. The probiotics have a little party in your intestinal walls and make them happy again -- something most of our intestines aren't familiar with, due to poor diets, internal and external stress, environmental toxins, and illness. The vitamins of course contribute to overall well being, protect proper brain function etc., And since kefir is especially high in B 12, it can be especially good for those in need of a little more energy (I dare anyone to say that's not them!). 


"So where does kefir come from?" 


 Kefir is made from nothing more than fresh milk, and kefir grains. Don't let the name fool you though; the biomass that turns milk into kefir is not a grain like wheat or oats. It's much more like a mushroom; a gelatinous glob of bacteria and yeasts (the good kinds) in a sort of womb made up of protein, lipids, and kefiran that ends up resembling overcooked cauliflower. Interestingly, no one seems to know where kefir grains originally came from though. Centuries ago it was discovered in the Northern Caucasus mountains (a region between Iran and Turkey, where the tribes people are all exceptionally healthy, and attribute their health and long life to their "probiotic jewel") and brought to other parts of the world only as recently as 1908. Where the Caucasian people got it though, only rumor tells -- some of the Caucasians say, "The grains were a gift from God provided over 1,000 years ago." Some seem to believe they were given to the people by the prophet Mohammed (and believe he received them from Allah). Others think kefir grains may be the manna described in the Bible ("Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." Exodus 16:31). I'm not sure what to think about where it came from, but that doesn't really matter, anyway. Originally kefir was made as a means of preserving milk, before the convenience of refrigeration was available. The art of kefir-making has been preserved throughout the years though, and we are finally learning about the incredible health benefits of this form of preservation. There are many variations when it comes to the creation of kefir; secondary fermentation is a good example of this (which can increase the folic acid content by up to 116%!). 


"So why should I be drinking kefir again?" 


 Because it tastes so great! Okay, so that's only really a pleasant benefit; the real glory of the thing is in it's incredible health benefits. Beginning sometime around the eighteenth century, kefir grains were considered almost miraculous for their ability to heal. The tribes-people would protect the secret of the process of kefir-making, and the mother-grains with their very lives. A family in posession of kefir grains was thought to be very wealthy. Many of the supposed benefits of kefir have yet to be "proven" according to organizations like the FDA, as kefir hasn't yet obtained a lot of attention from the medical/scientific communities. Recent experiments performed on mice though showed that kefiran (remember that's part of the composition of the kefir grain) exhibited strong anti-tumor properties. The author of one of these Japanese studies initially began the research on himself, ingesting kefiran to try and correct Ulcerative Colitis (inflammation and sores in the lining of the colon and rectum). He succeeded in his attempts to correct the disease, and started research on the antiinflammatory properties of kefir grains. The author of the study also found that his RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) symptoms disappeared after ingesting 1/3 cup of kefir grains for 7 days, furthering his theory that kefir has strong anti-inflammatory abilities. Other studies showed that daily ingestion of kefir liquid significantly supressed high blood pressure and also significantly lowered blood glucose in obese insulin-resistant KKAy mice. It also successfully treated constipated rats. Additionally, the good bacteria and yeasts in kefir have been shown to inhibit E. Coli and salmonella in lab tests (in other words, kefir is anti-microbial). Kefir is also being shown in studies to be an immune system modulator -- that is, a slow/weak immune system will be strengthened, and an overactive immune system will be calmed. As stated previously, kefir also contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes, including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, B2 and B12, vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin D. This is especially true if you can make kefir from grass-fed milk. And don't forget all the good bacteria (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lb delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lb helveticus, Lb casei subsp. pseudoplantarum and Lb brevis) and yeasts (Kluyveromyces, Torulopsis, and Saccharomyces, acetic acid bacteria; to name a few). Kefir has been used successfully to treat allergies, yeast infections, cancer, and TB to name just the few I remember reading. Hospitals in the former Soviet Union use kefir to treat patients with an incredible variety of illnesses. Another great thing about kefir? Even most who are lactose intolerant can drink kefir without ill-effect, because the yeasts in the kefir grains eat up most of the lactose (and the longer it ferments the more lactose the yeasts consume). 


"How can I obtain my own kefir?"


The easiest way, one might think is to buy it at a grocery or health food store. This is not ideal for several reasons though; 1) the cost is significantly higher when purchasing commercially produced kefir, as opposed to making it yourself, 2) the odds are high that even in a "healthy" drink like kefir you will find perservatives such as MSG (a highly dangerous excitotoxin) added to it (and don't be fooled just because the label doesn't say "MSG"; the government allows MSG to be hidden in more than a handful of additives that sound harmless such as "natural flavoring" and "spices", 3) Companies who produce kefir, like any other company is likely to be primarily interested in turning a profit and not making the absolute best product for their customers, thus the fermentation time for commercially produced kefir is likely to be lower, thus lowering the nutritional value of your kefir. So what am I suggesting? Making your own kefir, of course! Don't worry that you won't do it right, or don't have the time; once you obtain the grains, making your own kefir is a snap! I'll explain how in just a moment. 


"How do I make my own kefir?"


Making your very own kefir is an incredibly simple process. First thing you'll want to do is obtain your own grains; you can purchase them online, or do a google search for "Kefir Grains" (or if you're very fortunate you may have a friend who is already making their own kefir, and after a few weeks they'll be able to share some grains with you). You should be able to find a variety of websites offering kefir grains for no more than the cost of shipping. You could even try a website like the International Kefir Grain List where people from all over the world offer their extra grains (some for a small price, others for just the cost of shipping). You can even obtain freeze-dried kefir grains from some healthfood stores, but fair warning; not only will some in the kefir community "shun" you for making "fake" kefir, but these grains will not grow like real kefir grains do. So you have obtained your grains: Now what? Now you want to take a large, clean jar (glass is best) and plop your little grains in there with some milk (about 1 cup of milk for every approximate tablespoon of grains), cover it (if you cover it tightly be sure that the gases have a way to escape; if the seal is too tight, and the extra space in the jar too small, the jar could explode from the build up of pressure as the milk ferments!), and allow it to sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. As I mentioned before, there are many variations in how kefir is made; you can cover the jar more loosely and your milk will ferment a bit more slowly, leaving you with a milder taste. You can ferment it beyond 24 hours for a more sour, fizzy drink. You can remove the grains, and put your kefir into beer bottles, and allow for a secondary fermentation which will create an even fizzier, yeasty beverage. Whenever you deem that your kefir is ready, you can strain out the grains, and drink the kefir immediately, or refrigerate it for longer storage (it will continue to ferment even without the grains, but at a much slower rate now). You can also "store" your grains in milk in the refrigerator if you don't plan on having fresh kefir ready for consumption every day. The grains can also be frozen for short periods of time, or stored in water (though this is not ideal for the health and happiness of your grains and should not be done for more than a day or so every two weeks). 


 BE AWARE: Recently shipped kefir grains will not produce a "proper" kefir the first batch or so. The shipping time creates an excess of yeast in the little grains, thus creating a drink that is grossly akin to baby spit-up. When your first batch or two turns out like this, do not be discouraged; this is normal. Also, new milk (i.e. switching from cow to goat, or goat to soy) can cause the grains to "freak out" in a sense, and create another nasty dud batch. Do not be dismayed; this too is normal. And too, be aware that switching from say, 1% milk to whole milk can cause a change in the taste and texture of your kefir. 


Just for my own future reference, due to my "brain fog" this took all night to write, and I'm not exaggerating. 


*one should be aware that consistantly culturing your grains in non-mammalian milk will cause them to cease growing as the grains need certain nutrients to grow that are only present in the milk of mammals.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, I'm not talking about Christmas (even though I am kind of a fanatic). I'm talking about the start of planting season! This week is when I ought to be getting my tomatoes and bell pepper started indoors. Though I'm not sure I'll actually be able to because I don't have any good soil to start them in and really hate to pay for dirt. It's kind of like paying for toilet paper. That kills me. Anyway, back to the plants, we've had such a warm winter I'm going to be wild and risky and plant a bunch of my spring stuff soon, too. Or at least some of it.  As for my indoor plants, if I can get my hands on some decent soil and the other materials, I might try this method:

Source: intuitionphysician.com via Megan on Pinterest

But I really don't know if I can get my hands on some plastic containers and old TP rolls -- We keep a little toilet paper around for guests and clients, but not enough to start a bunch of seeds with the leftover rolls. But this would be nifty if I can gather the materials. If not I'll just buy plants later in the season like last year. I've never had much luck getting peppers or tomatoes started from seed anyway. Have you?

This spring I am hoping to plant:

Potatoes
Lettuce
Radishes
Garlic
Leeks
Onions
Salsify
Broccoli
Kale

I am especially excited about the potatoes. We planted some last year and I'm not kidding when I say that those were the best potatoes I've ever had in my life. This year I have my potato tower that I hope will give us many more potatoes than we had last year (that is not my potato tower in the photo; mine was made using a bunch of scrap wood so it looks pretty old and beat up, but should get the job done anyway!)

Source: tipnut.com via Megan on Pinterest

I just have to figure out what kind of potatoes I'm supposed to plant in a potato tower. Only certain varieties will continually set new fruit as the plants grow. So if I plant the wrong kind, having the tower will be completely pointless.

And then there is the issue of chickens! We meant to get some last year but time escaped us and we never did. I don't want to make that mistake again, because having 4 laying hens ought to provide us with most of our egg needs.

So there's that.

Cookie, cookie

We are not always "good". Shocking, isn't it? Many of David's clients and  most of our friends seem to expect that because David is a naturopath, and because we advocate a grain-free, refined sugar-free diet, we always, without exception, stick to said grain-free, sugar-free diet. Well let me tell you right now, that is not the case! Friends and clients alike both seem extremely pleased when they discover that "even" we choose to eat sugar or grains from time to time. Sometimes both at once! *gasp* Unfortunately some people take our occasional, intentional splurge as permission to do the same, and to do it often and without much thought. I wish I could convey to everyone how important it is not to do that very often, and most especially when you have significant health problems you are trying to control or reverse. David and I are both very healthy individuals, for the most part. And we stay that way because we rarely stray from our healthy diet! But, as I said, we do occasionally choose to have something that is most assuredly not beneficial for our health. For Valentine's Day, that something was chocolate chip cookies.

Now these are not just any chocolate chip cookies. Oh no. We try to never "waste" a splurge with anything less than fantastic. These are some of the biggest, fattest, yummiest chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. The recipe itself is pretty basic, but it is the method of preparation that is unique and supposedly makes the difference between these being ordinary cookies and the extraordinary cookies that they are. I got the recipe from a friend years ago, and haven't made any other chocolate chip cookie recipe since (well, I mean, I have my grain-free recipe, but as for "real" chocolate chip cookies, I don't feel the need to ever try another recipe after this one). Sadly I've fallen out of touch with this friend, but I'll always remember her for many, many reasons, and this is only one of them. This recipe was sent to me nameless, so in memory of our friendship, I will call them: Little Tong's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Little Tong's Chocolate Chip Cookies


2 cups + 2 tbsp unsifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp *butter, melted and cooled (original recipe called for unsalted; as a rule I prefer salted butter)
1 cup **brown sugar (dark or light, doesn't make a big difference)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 cups semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks

Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda together; set aside.

By hand, or with an electric mixer, combine butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate to taste.

And here is where we come to the unusual method of preparation I mentioned! In the eloquent words of my friend (who, at the time was maybe 15?), "it's amazing, it's what makes the cookies sooo much better and not so smushed and brown looking like they normally do." She says, "Form scant 1/4 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball using fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal parts. Turn smooth rounded edges towards floor with jagged surfaces towards the ceiling, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to smooth dough's uneven surface." Place dough onto cookie sheets (she says 9 dough balls per 20X14 sheet, lined with parchment paper -- I'm too lazy to do that, and don't actually own a cookie sheet, so I just put as many as I think I can fit without them touching, onto whatever baking dish I'm going to bake them on. I've been using my Pampered Chef casserole dish and it works just fine). Bake for 15-18 minutes, reversing the cookie sheet half-way through baking. Cookies are done when the cookies are very lightly golden brown on the edges but the centers are still soft and puffy.

Serve warm with a glass of cold raw milk (ok, so any milk will do, but I cannot abide the gross aftertaste of pasteurized milk, whether it's organic or not), or store in an airtight container (and good luck trying to make them last long enough to store!).

Dough can be frozen for up to one month, or stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. I stored mine for three days and now have really dry dough to try to roll into balls. No fun. Heed my warning. Eat them faster than I did. ;)

*The original recipe called for butter, I didn't have that much butter this time, so I used 1 stick of butter and then 4 tbsp coconut oil, and I couldn't tell a difference compared to when I've made them in the past, so if you need or want to substitute some, that's fine!
**I had no brown sugar so I used all white sugar and added 2 tsp molasses. This gave the cookies more of a molassesy smell and flavor than I intended, but was still good. To more closely replicate brown sugar, I would suggest 1 tsp molasses.

Too good to be true. Except it is. True I mean.

I'm about to do what I first thought of as "shameless" advertising. I could benefit if you buy the item I'm about to rave about. But then I realized that it would be ever so much more shameful for me not to share this amazing deal with you, than to share it, knowing it could result in a gift certificate for moi. So what is this amazing deal? Recently I noticed that Tropical Traditions put their coconut oil for pets on sale. An entire gallon for $31 (w/shipping)! I discovered upon further investigation that their coconut oil for pets is perfectly fit for human consumption and said to myself, "Sweet deal!" The only difference between this coconut oil and the oil they sell for human consumption is simply hasn't been through the deodorizing process, which leaves it with a "smokey" flavor. "Okay," thought I, "For a total of $31 for a gallon of coconut oil, I've gotta try it!" And I did. Two weeks ago I ordered it, and two days later it shipped. We opened it up as soon as it arrived, very anxious to see what this coconut oil would be like. It is mildly smokey. But you know what I've found? That flavor is truly delicious in many of the dishes I commonly prepare. My oven baked potato wedges are always amazing (yes I did just say that), but being tossed in smokey coconut oil first? OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD! You name the food, it was good! I wouldn't probably recommend baking with it for obvious reasons (mildly smokey cake? No, thank you!), but all sorts of savory foods combine beautifully with this hint of smokiness. Today I noticed that they are now offering a coupon code for free shipping, so you can get an entire gallon for a mere $21! Enter code "123001" and receive free ground shipping on your entire order! But hurry! This free shipping offer is only good until January 30th! And if you're a new customer, be sure to go to their site through one of my links so I can earn a gift certificate!

And if you have the money and love your little pet, why not buy him a gallon while you're at it? ;)

Special Price! 1-gallon - Organic Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil for Pets

Mini Lemon Loaf

Yesterday on a private journaling community I've been a part of for a decade now (yeah, if that doesn't make you feel old!), a friend posted a recipe for a Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf. It sounded amazing! It looked amazing! And I felt in my heart that I absolutely had to have some for myself. Ha! I was even prepared to give in and use some of those unhealthy ingredients I had leftover from my holiday baking, all purpose flour and sugar.

But my conscience got the better of me yet again, and I had to instead create a healthier version! I was also missing several ingredients for the original recipe and I replaced the all purpose flour with almond flour, ground flaxseed, and coconut flour. I did use some real sugar, which I almost never do, but I am running low on my sugar-alternatives and felt it wisest to save those for my Etsy orders. So I used a combination of honey and refined sugar in this. It's sitting on the stovetop cooling as I type and I cannot wait to give it a try! The center sank in a bit, so apparently I need to do some tweaking to the recipe, but it smells fantastic and I can't wait to taste!

Lemon Loaf

3 tbsp almond flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 ½ tbsp flaxseed, ground
1 tbsp coconut flour
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp honey
3 capfuls lemon extract (yes, I am nearly always too lazy to measure extracts with spoons!)
1 capfuls vanilla extract

Glaze
⅛ cup (2 tbsp) sugar
⅛ lemon juice (I didn’t have any lemons so I combined lemon extract with water)

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease mini loaf pan (I don't have a real mini loaf pan, so I used a glass pyrex storage container I have that is similar in size and oven safe!). Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Mix together, pour into greased pan and bake 30-35 until golden on top, firm to the touch, and a toothpick comes out of the center mostly clean. Remove from oven, drizzle glaze over the loaf, being sure to get all the edges so the glaze can really soak in and add to the major yum factor! Allow to cool 15 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling (or, if you're impatient like I am, you can place your wire rack in the fridge to speed the process up!).

Alright, so I got impatient and stuck it in the fridge to finish cooling so I could taste it. The center did sink in quite a lot, but that did not affect the flavor, or the doneness at all! I have to say that it tastes pretty amazing. Pretty authentic. It's definitely not as pretty as it's ancestor, the Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf. Mine would have been prettier (prettier, not pretty) if I at least had the poppy seeds, but alas!

Yes, it is dark but no, it does not taste burnt. No, it doesn't look like it would be lemony. But it is. And it satisfied my craving perfectly. Now to wait for my company to arrive and share another slice with a cup of hot coffee!

And for those of you interested in the nutrition breakdown, here it is, in all of its refined sugar 8-serving glory (though really, not bad for CAKE!):