What is Kefir?

 Have you heard of kefir? Some people describe it as a drinkable yogurt. I learned a lot about it from Cultures for Health.  I have a lactose intolerance and despite all of the health benefits of yogurt and how much I love it, I couldn’t tolerate it. I learned that the bacteria in kefir feeds off the lactose or sugars in the milk, which makes kefir 99.9% lactose free. I experienced great changes in my digestive system and I did not experience the negative symptoms that I have from regular dairy.

I start with some strong kefir grains that I ordered from Cultures for Health and I used a good quality milk. I don’t have access to raw or unpasteurized milk. I tried using organic milk from the grocery store but I don’t like that it is ultra pasteurized and my kefir grains started to weaken, such as they became smaller and they didn’t hold together as well as they did with other milks. The milk I prefer to use is a local milk, Shatto Milk. My grains are strong and large and my kefir is wonderful.

After my kefir has cultured for 24 hours, I separate it from the grains in a non-metallic strainer, using a non-metalic spoon.

I like to add fruit to finished kefir. I add a ¼ cup of fruit to 2 cups cultured kefir and refrigerate it overnight. In this kefir I used freeze dried blackberries. The next morning I put it in a blender. If my fruit has seeds or stringy, like mango, I strain it after blending it. You can add a sweetener of your choice. Drink 8 oz. daily for great digestion!

                        

Breakfast Anyone? Easiest overnight oats ever!

I love breakfast food! I have so many favorites! Blueberry scones, eggs and grits, homemade biscuits and gravy, veggie omelet, eggs Benedict, eggs Florentine, homemade pancakes, breakfast casseroles, crepes, root vegetable hash with bacon and fried egg……I could have so many blog posts of just my favorite recipes. However, if I start my morning creating dirty dishes, then I’m already behind the power curve. In my life right now, I need simple.  Breakfast is hard for me. I don’t like cooking breakfast. I’d rather sit down with an instant breakfast, a hot cup of herbal tea and read in the mornings. By instant breakfast, I mean, I don’t want to work by the sweat of my brow to get it, but hey, I’m on a budget and paying $3-$4 per serving for a family of 9 for a healthy breakfast is out of the question.

 My regular family breakfast staples are homemade granola, scrambled eggs with whole wheat toast, and oatmeal. I love the overnight oats. I like having them once a week or so and I like to make them in batches. If I don’t eat the whole batch in a week(two to four jars), then they go bad and I’ve wasted, time, food and money.

With Thrive Life foods, I can make overnight oat weeks ahead! All of your normally wet ingredients are now FD and shelf stable. Once assembled and stored in my pantry, the only work I have to do on a busy weeknight is add liquid and place in the refrigerator for breakfast the next day. 

Blueberries, bananas and honey are now ready when you are.

If you are out of milk, no problem. 

Using yogurt bites in your overnight oats means you only add water. My daughter is lactose intolerant, so we omit yogurt bites and add half a can of coconut milk (also shelf stable) the night before. I like them cold, and my children like to heat them in the microwave.

Here is an easy recipe that I found on the back of a Costco size box of old fashioned oats which I Thrivalized.

Blueberry and Banana Overnight Oats

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup FD vanilla yogurt bites or blueberry yogurt bites

1/2 cup FD blueberries

1/3 cup FD banana slices

1 tbsp. FD crystallized honey

1 tsp. chia seeds

Add all ingredients into a wide mouth pint jar. Close with lid and secure tightly. Can be stored in pantry up to 6 months. 

To prepare, add 1 cup water, close with lid and shake to evenly coat fruit and oats. Place in refrigerator over night or 8 hours before eating. Heat in microwave if desired.

Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup FD vanilla yogurt bites

1/3 cup FD banana slices

3 tbsp. Peanut Flour

1 tbsp. crystallized honey

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. chia seeds

Add all ingredients into a wide mouth pint jar. Close with lid and secure tightly. Can be stored in pantry up to 6 months. 

To prepare, add 1 cup water, close with lid and shake to evenly coat fruit and oats. Place in refrigerator over night or 8 hours before eating. Heat in microwave if desired.

Raspberry Rolls

Raspberries are on sale this month! Professional bakers use freeze dried fruit in their baking so they can have ALL the flavor and none of the extra water.

I LOVE these raspberry rolls. They are the perfect blend of tart and sweet. The freeze dried raspberries don't add extra water, and so the rolls stay perfectly moist and not wet. The flavor from the fruit penetrates the roll dough and every bite is raspberry heaven.

I use double the butter of the cinnamon roll recipe to adequately refresh the raspberry powder. The lime is essential to balance the fruit and sugar.

These can be made up to 2 days in advance. Once cooled, cover tight with plastic wrap and they will retain moisture. Warm in a 250 degree oven for 5-7 minutes. The quality of flour in important for the flavor, texture and moisture. My flours of choice are King Arthur, Gold Metal Organic, or Thrive.

  

Sarah's Raspberry Rolls

1.5 doz. large rolls

½ cup sugar

1 ½ tbsp. yeast

1 cup canola oil

1 ½ cups warm water

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. salt

5 ½ cups non-gmo flour, sifted or 5 c. whole wheat flour

Filling:

½ cup melted butter

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup Thrive raspberries, crushed and seeded

½ tsp. Thrive Limeade powder or 1 tbsp. lime juice

In a stand mixer, mix sugar, yeast, oil and water and let stand 15 minutes. Attach dough hook and add eggs, salt and flour. Once all flour is incorporated, knead 5 minutes. Dough will be very wet. Roll out dough to a 12 x 18 rectangle. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, raspberries and lime powder or juice with a whisk. Spread melted butter evenly over dough and then sprinkle on dry filling ingredients. Roll as a jelly roll. Too loose and rolls will have gaps, too tight and rolls will not rise and fluff. Cut with string and place on a large, parchment lined baking sheet or two 9x13 pans. Let rolls rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. For conventional oven, bake 10 minutes, rotate pan and bake for remaining 5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Spread on icing with a pastry brush while rolls are slightly warm.

Icing:

For Raspberry Rolls

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted.

1 tbsp. butter, melted

½ tsp. Thrive Limeade powder or 1 tbsp. lime juice

2-4 tsp warm water

Whisk icing ingredients together. Add water to desired consistency. Icing should be a thick paste consistency. (slightly thicker than white glue)