Slow Play Sunday Morning Gluten Free Pancakes

Yum!  That’s where I’m going start this blog...Yum!  My kids love pancakes, who doesn’t? They love fluffy pancakes made from all purpose flour; again, who doesn’t?  In an effort to increase my family’s fibre intake, however, I have been playing with alternative flours.  I have to be honest, whole wheat flour doesn’t appeal to my kids pallet, also, if I’m changing out my flour, I’d like to reduce the amount of gluten we’re consuming.  No one in my family struggles with gluten but there have been so many documented health problems related to mass wheat production and gluten issues in today’s society, I feel like a reduction is not going to hurt anyone in my household.  They can still have their Mac N’ Cheese but they don’t need to be consuming gluten three times a day.  I’m a firm believer in the old mantra “Moderation is the key.”

Oat flour is delicious, made from a whole grain; higher in protein and healthy fats and lower in carbs than many other grains. Oats also contain more soluble fibre than any other grains.  Plus, they’re gluten free.  Not convinced yet?  Oats contain Beta-glucans which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Also, diets high in fibre show an increase in the appetite controlling substance, Peptide Y-Y.  This chemical sends a message to the brain to tell it when the stomach is full and encourages the body to stop eating.  I researched this flour, which is readily converted to complete many of your favourite all purpose flour recipes and decided that it should find a home in my pancake recipe.  I do find oat flour requires some extra liquid in a recipe than its wheat counterparts, it’s certainly not a straight conversion with wheat flour but there are many resources on line to assist you in this process.

I have been mixing up my dry ingredients ahead of time to reduce my kitchen time and maximize my sleep time.  Sundays have become very busy for us, we often have kids in two different directions by 10am.  A Bit of Convenience goes a long way for me...unfortunately, I trust almost no food manufacturing companies, pre-made muffins and waffles are not an option in my household.  I had to figure something out because I hate feeling stressed on Sunday morning. I have always thrived in slow-playing Sunday.  This relaxing morning sets me up for the busy week ahead.  On meal prep days, I now take a few moments to throw together a mix or a special seasoning in a mason jar.  My pancake mix is always stocked and has a permanent home on my shelf.

I often mix the dry ingredients into the same mason jar that I just dumped into my mixer, as I clean my kitchen.  It takes moments, but moments, when I have them.  The idea of getting up on Sunday and pulling out my flour and baking powder makes me throw a piece of toast into the toaster.

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups of oatmeal flour

1 tsp of sea salt

2 tbsps of cane sugar

4 tsps of baking powder

I dump all of those ingredients into a mason jar, twist the lid on and shake. That mason jar finds a place on my shelf until the next time I feel ambitious enough to make some high fibre, satiating pancakes.  When I’m ready to make my pancakes, I add the entire jar of mix along with 2 eggs, 1.5 cups of milk or milk substitute (coconut milk is my personal fave) and on tsp of vanilla to my mixer. As soon as the pancakes are ready, I use a ladle to drop pancakes onto a non-stick pan.

I cook over medium heat.  When bubbles appear on the raw side, its time to flip and cook for 2 more minutes.

I can only cook three pancakes at a time on my pan so I drop them into a casserole dish into my warm oven until I’m ready to serve.

Half Blueberry and Half Plain Pancakes is the winning batch in my household.  The leftover pancakes freeze beautifully and make an even quicker breakfast for later in the week!

That’s it for my Slow Play Sunday Blog!  I hope you’ll try these pancakes, I know I love them and just two makes me feel full for hours.  Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this blog!

The Joy of Sourdough English Muffins

We all know its the simple things that bring joy to our lives, but what does that really mean?  Personally, I feel that joy hides out in the most unexpected places.  Joy is simple to miss, it’ll pass you by if you’re not looking for it.  I’ve missed it, many times; I have chosen to live in the negative.  I have focused on the bad behaviours, the messy kitchen, my kid’s bad choices, my bad choices.  Joy is a choice.  It’s the dancing in the kitchen; forgetting your chores for a few moments, giggling on the phone, hugging your kids, doing something that you love.  I love baking and crafting. There is joy in creativity. 

This week I found creativity and joy in my Sourdough English Muffins.  I make these often.  I love them, my kids love them.  They make the whole family happy.  They taste so much better than the store bought version. I call them my English Muffins, which is technically unfair, as they’re a recipe I found on Jonesin’ for Taste’s Blog. You can find the complete recipe at this link:

https://jonesinfortaste.com/sourdough-english-muffins/

There is, however, significance in my ownership of this recipe. I have made it so many times that I use the blog post as a reference. I know what I need to add and when I need to add it; its simple.  It takes time and patience to complete.  I hit my “Flow” when I mix the ingredients together, as I roll the dough and sprinkle the cornmeal.  I don’t need to think, I just simply do, that’s the Flow I speak of, baking becomes a meditation of sorts. I take the joy; I eat it up! I ignore the frustrations of life, as I create something beautiful, I allow it to warm my soul.  That’s the trick to joy, you need to accept it.

The ingredients are simple, wholesome and I get to use my sourdough starter.  My starter, which I affectionately call Ramona, has received my love and care throughout the past two years.  I have personified Ramona, honestly, she has to be the most giving pet I have ever owned. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, I would totally recommend starting one of your own. I have added a link to my sourdough article here:

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/search/label/bread?m=0

Sourdough English Muffins 

1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter

1 Cup of Milk

2 Cups of Organic All Purpose Flour

Mix these three ingredients together in a large bowl.  Once combined, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. 

Once your dough has rested overnight, add an additional:

3/4 Cup of Organic All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp of Sugar 

3/4 Tbsp of Ground Sea Salt

1 Tsp of Baking Soda

Once your ingredients are fully combined, drop your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes.

Roll your dough out to 3/4 of an inch and begin cutting with either a wide mouth mason jar or a large glass.

Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.  Sprinkle the paper with cornmeal.  

As your English Muffins are cut, drop them onto the lined cookie sheets; flip to coat both sides with cornmeal. 

Make sure to space them properly on your cornmeal and parchment lined cookie sheet, as they will increase in size during your rise.

When your cookie sheet is full, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise.

Allow your muffins to rise at least 45 minutes before cooking.

You can re-roll your scraps to cut additional English Muffins but the dough requires at least 10 minutes rise time between each cutting. 

I typically get 10-12 English Muffins out of this recipe; if you require more, the recipe doubles well and freezes beautifully.

To cook your English Muffins, lightly oil a frying pan, cook over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes per side.

Enjoy them toasted with jam, peanut butter, almond butter or as an “over-the-top” delicious egg sandwich.  

The greatest excitement I experience while making these Sourdough English Muffins is how amazing they look. The first time I made them, I pulled them off of the pan as I giggled hysterically.  They looked like English Muffins. Real English Muffins. I had made something that I could buy at a store. They looked Professional.  Who knew you could make English Muffins?  Preservative Free English Muffins.  It turns out you can make English Muffins. If you decide to make them; you too should enjoy every moment of the process. Once your soul is fed, gobble one up and feed your tummy too. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this Big Idea!! 

I Just Made Lactose-Free Yogurt!

Mmmmmmm....yogurt. I love it. I never eat it because my body hates Dairy. Which is sad, really, because I love to dealve into a hunk of cheese or drink a creamy latte.  I’m lactose intolerant, like many others, Nature

did not intend for me to slurping back milk after I was

done nursing. Many bodies are unprepared for the onslaught of creamy milk products. My digestive tract certainly isn’t lined up for it!! 

Fortunately, there are many good lactose-free products on the market. I often substitute my milk with a dairy alternative, my favourite being, coconut. I drink my coffee with coconut milk and honey. I buy lactose-free yogurts at the grocery store, or I avoid Dairy all together. It’s not all that difficult to avoid and I feel healthier when it’s out of my life, but I miss it. Not anymore!! I’m done paying a premium for lactose-free!!  I just made yogurt. Lactose free yogurt!! All you require is an organic high fat yogurt and some whole milk. 

As I write this blog, I’m munching on blueberries drizzled with honey, sunflower seeds, craisins and granola all wrapped up in one of my favourite substances, plain yogurt. It’s tart, it’s creamy and delicious. It’s also incredibly versatile.  It blends well into soups, Indian dishes, is a perfect sour cream substitute and makes a yummy high protein breakfast bowl!!

While meandering through Pinterest, I found a yogurt recipe for my Instant Pot. I don’t know if you have an Instant Pot but I got one on sale, right before Christmas. I love to cook delicious meals for my family. I actually refuse to slip onto that slope of convenience. Though convenience food might lower my stress level around dinner time, as I’m frantically trying to fill bellies before evening activities, I’d lose sleep. I’d rather provide my family with minimal ingredient dishes, healthy fats and nourishing meals than a store bought alternative.  The Instant Pot makes this easier. One pot meals, full of whole ingredients, in a fraction of the time. I’ve made a whole chicken in 35 minutes, rice in 10 minutes, bone broth or bolognese sauce in a couple of hours...these meals used to take me all day.  

If you’re not convinced by now, that you should probably throw out your slow cooker and buy an Instant Pot (the Instant Pot also has a slow cooker option), then let’s talk about homemade yogurt. I was intimidated to make yogurt. I tried a few years back and it was a complete and utter failure. My issue was lactose. I went out and bought lactose free milk and followed the instructions to make my yogurt from a yogurt stater. If you know anything about yogurt making, this makes no sense.  The cultures in yogurt eat lactose. The trick to lactose free yogurt is a longer incubation period. Let the bacteria eat all of that lactose for you!  If you’re not lactose intolerant then you can make yogurt with your Instant Pot in about 8 hours, if you are lactose intolerant, you let it incubate for 24 hours. 

Here’s the link to the yogurt recipe I followed, it worked out perfectly!!

http://wholenaturallife.com/instant-pot-yogurt/

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts! Feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this Big Idea!!