All posts by Monna

Jan 07
0

Steel Cut Oats – Delicious and Easier Than You Think!

By | Recipes | No Comments

We’re on a porridge kick at our house lately. When I say porridge, I mean steel cut oats, of course. As a young girl, I had my share of the rolled oats version of oatmeal and always found it rather lacking. The texture of the oats was closer akin to slime than a nutty oat and I always had the feeling I was eating slugs for breakfast. (What can I say, I was imaginative even as a youngster!).

Not having true slimey ogre-ish tastes (we’ve seen Shrek about a BILLION times at our house), when I decided to use oats to save money and feed my family something nourishing, I chose the non-slug version of oatmeal. Steel cut oats. Now, I reserve rolled oats for cookies and fruit crisps (a rarity at my house but I dream of getting around to that!).

Steel cut oats are nutty & creamy, warm and fill up your tummy! Not only that, they’re filled with all kinds of great nutrients like fiber, calcium, Vit-B complex (happy vitamin), magnesium, folate and potassium. We always add a dash of sea salt and a bit of fat – like a dab of butter or some milk. I know choosing to eat saturated fats flies in the face of some current ideas of health. However, the women in our family are (usually) amazingly  long lived and they always ate real food like butter, raw milk, eggs, meat etc. A little bit of healthy fat like butter or coconut oil early in the day will give you a surprising boost of energy and keep you feeling full till lunch.

But, where to buy steel cut oats? McCann’s Irish Oats may look cool on the shelf but they are pricey so I started buying Trader Joe’s Organic Steel Cut Oats. Then I discovered that  I could buy them in bulk from my local Whole Foods. They’re still organic but even more affordable that TJ’s (though I remain a loyal fan!). I suspect if you shop at Sprouts or Sunflower markets, you can find oats in their bulk section too. Just give them a sniff because if they don’t sell a lot of them, the oats tend go rancid. Nothing will ruin your first oat experience like a bowl of rancid oats!

The thing that probably keeps most people from eating steel cut oats is the cooking time. We all have places to go in the morning and no one wants to sit around waiting 30 minutes for their oats to cook!
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to take all morning & once you’ve cooked them, you can keep them in the fridge for several days and just heat them in the morning!. Here’s another option that reduces the cooking time significantly.

Steel Cut Oats
3 cups filtered water
1 cup oats
Butter or coconut oil or cream
Dash of sea salt
Toppings as desired like –
apple
cranberries
raisins
pecans, walnuts, slivered walnuts
blueberries, raspberries, strawberries etc 
cinnamon
1. The night before…Place 1 c oats in 3 cups water and soak overnight. 
2. Bring to a boil in the morning while you’re nursing your first cup of coffee and cook for ten minutes. 
3. Dish into serving bowls 
4. Add a dab of butter or coconut or real cream (NO non-dairy creamer please!)
5. Add a dash of sea salt (this is optional but our family likes our porridge with salt vs. sugar.)
6. Add toppings if desired 
7. Enjoy!
Jan 06
0

the hawk

By | Spirit | No Comments

this morning
returning from that sacred time
alone
on the trail
where i remember who i really am

i spotted a hawk
high in the pine tree
above my home
and stopped

for a moment
time seemed to flow
as gently as the wind
caressing the highest branch
that rocked the bird

and i forgot i was on the ground

no

it was i
who sat motionless
far above the details
with a clear view of the day
who spread strong wings
and left the safety of the tree

to soar

Jan 05
0

See, They Really Are Listening!

By | Honest Mothering | One Comment

When you’re parenting preschoolers, you often feel like a broken record playing the same phrases over and over. For example….

“It’s never ok to hit your sister. She is always more important than a toy.”

“Please put your shoes on NOW!” (after three requests!)

“Please do not leave your shoes on the floor.” (I’ve stopped counting)

“Girls, please put your toys down. We need to leave now or we will be late.” (um, every time we need to go somewhere – no matter how early I started prepping)

“No, we’re not buying a toy just because we’re in a store that has them.”

(Note to self – Stop being so picky all the time!)

Maybe it’s just me but everything with preschoolers seems infinitely slow – like herding cats. And, I really do wonder if anything I say penetrates the space in their consciousness so fully occupied with imagination – princes and princesses, horses, Star Wars (yup, they like that too!) and Barbies.

This weekend, I got confirmation that my oldest has been listening. I felt gratified and not a little amazed.

Lately, after my youngest crashes out (no drifting for her, she runs till she falls over!), my 4 year old and I have been cuddling close – giggling and having a delightful time together. I almost feel like a kid myself staying up past bedtime with her and she clearly loves it.

So, there we were – snuggling and giggling when she asked me to tell her the story of her birth. So, I proceeded to tell her the story in detail, including the part about how it was in a hospital, it was really long (over 28 hours!) and how the doctor offered me Pitocin, a drug that stimulates labor. She interrupted me to ask, “But, mom, you didn’t take the drugs did you?” After all, she is Organic Mama’s daughter.

At our house, we frequently talk with our kids about how food and herbs do a lot to keep us healthy and that more focused medicines like prescrips should only be a last resort. The conversations started over food and extended to prescription drugs because my girls kept seeing CVS and Walgreens and wanted to know if they were Trader Joe’s. It opened up the opportunity to talk about drugs – both prescription and non – with my kids.

So, you can imagine I was a little taken back by her question. I paused for a moment before saying, “Yes. I did sweetie.”

Oh the depth of disappointment and shame (for me!) she infused into her short response! She dramatically shook her head and lay it on my arm as she said, “Oh no, Mom.”

I stifled a chuckle. But inside, even as I told her that I’ve learned a lot since then – and finished my story, I felt the warmth of encouragement. There may be days I feel like my words are bouncing off the insides of my house, but I know that some of them are finding their way straight into my daughters minds and their hearts. I bet it’s the same at your house…

(second note to self – stop being so hard on me!)

p.s. you can read my oldest’s hospital birth story here…and my youngest’s homebirth here.

Jan 04
0

Organic Mama Reads: Children’s Book Reviews

By | Children's Book reviews | No Comments

It’s been a while since we had a book review. Of course, we’ve not stopped reading at our house. If I try to go a night without a story or 2 books (one for each girl – and sometimes more), I hear about it. And, truthfully, relaxing with my kids and some funny little books is one of the best parts of my day!  Here are a few of the recent books we’ve read.

The Chimpanzees of Happytown – Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
What I loved best about this book was the colorful illustrations and the rhythm of the text. This is a book in rhyme about a Chimpanzee named Chutney who comes home to his town, Drabsville, USA. While everyone else is used to the dreary gray architecture and dreary day in an out of an unimaginative life, Chutney changes everything by planting a tree washed in color. At first, he gets in trouble but eventually wins everyone over, one by one. The end of the book seemed a little preachy as Chutney lectures the former mayor (who liked his world dreary) about how Chutney’s way of life is better. But overall it was a good read. My kids loved it.

Quiet in the Garden – Aliki
This story centers on a little boy who loves to sit quietly in his garden and observe everything growing and moving in it. He hears the little creatures of the garden talking to each other and in the end, they all share a picnic, using food grown in his garden. I love the idea of teaching children to be still and observe all that is around them in the outdoors – finding treasures in the natural world. Incidentally, the illustrations are beautiful – and somehow – quieting. A great book for just before bedtime. Thumbs up from my girls too.
The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School – Laurie Halse Anderson & Ard Hoyt
I don’t know what it is about hair books but we keep running into them. And, maybe because both my children are girls, they LOVE them. In this story, Zoe Fleefenbacher has a ton of fabulous red hair with a mind of it’s own. Instead of just sitting quietly on her head, it tends to get into everything around it in a rather incredible way. While her kindergarten teacher didn’t mind Zoe’s wild hair, her new first grade teacher insists that “School has rules”.

Unfortunately, Zoe has very little control over her unruly hair. After a series of mishaps, Zoe and her hair finally convince her teacher that after all, this crazy hair is useful and helpful! Personally, I think the whole “hair with a mind of it’s own” thing is a little creepy. But my daughters, particularly my two year old, loved this book. My smallest keeps asking, “Can we read Zoe Fleefenbachie, mommy?” I may have to buy it.

Jack and the Dreamsack – by Lawrence Anholt, Illustrated by Ross Collins
Jack is a curious little boy who thinks it’s a real bummer he can’t remember his dreams in the morning. So, he tries to capture them by placing them in a sack during the night. He has some fun and typically bizarre dreams during his midnight adventure, collecting all he sees. Will he have anything left in the morning? Guess you’ll have to read it to find out!

That’s it for today. Go read a book with your little people!!