Good Mornings Made Great!

Good Morning Friends!  Farm activity demands healthy strong bodies with sharp minds to accomplish all the tasks set before us. I know for our family a good morning breakfast meal can make for the start of a great day! Here is our family favorite, Good Morning Omelet served with Toast and Apple Juice

Good Morning Omelet:

Farm Fresh Eggs (DP024)

Garlic Gold Oil (OL025) This item is currently on sale for 15% off!

Sweet Pepper Mix (QP306)

Real Salt (BP064)

Pepper (HS604) On sale right now for 12% off!

Raw Cheddar (CH096)

To make these omelets simply crack your eggs (for our family we need at least 18eggs) Don’t forget to save your shells to recycle in your compost pile or garden beds. Oil your skillet with a Tbs or so of the Garlic Gold Oil. Allow your eggs to begin cooking then add 1-2 Tbs of shredded cheese, a 1Tbs of peppers, salt and pepper to taste and fold in half. Finish cooking to your desired consistency then serve with shredded cheese on top. Feel free to add any other goodies to this that you desire, olives, mushrooms, broccoli, oh… the possibilities are unlimited!

While this is cooking put some toast in the toaster and spread your organic butter over the top. I prefer just butter on my toast but other members of our household love to smother it in some delicious preserve such as the Bing Cherry Marmalade that is on sale this month for 15% off!!

This is a quick breakfast for our family yet so filling and delicious too! It’s a great good morning meal to start off the day! ENJOY!

Until our next chat…

Mrs. Joseph Wood

Happy National Blueberry Popover Day!

Remember a while back I asked on the Facebook page if you had a day that you would like to celebrate a certain food? Maybe you’d like to pick your loved ones birthday and celebrate their favorite dish for the day. Perhaps, it’s a family meal, a traditional dish, or maybe even a ‘just because’ recipe! Whatever the case, I would love to have you join me as we fill up our Azure Almanac Calendar with foods to celebrate. Not just any food mind you, we want to celebrate natural, nutritious, and delicious food! If you click on the ‘Calendar’ tab at the top of the page you can see any holidays that might be taken….. You have a lot to choose from so go ahead and submit as many as you like! We love hearing from you and enjoy making this blog for all of us!

Well, enough chit chat for now. Let’s get to the food!

1 Cup Raw Farm Milk

2 Tbs Organic Salted Butter (DP050) melted

1/2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract (BP019)

1/4 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt (BP112)

1/4 cup Organic Rapadura (SW074) separated

1 cup sifted Whole wheat flour (FL066)

2 large farm Eggs (DP024)

1/4 tsp Cinnamon (HS593)

1 cup frozen Blueberries (FG316)

In a large bowl mix first four ingredients together along with 3 TBS of the Rapadura. Set the rest of your Rapadura aside for use later. Then add 1 cup of flour a little at a time along with your eggs and mix until it is combined. Do not over mix! Set aside and let sit for 5 minutes. In another bowl mix the remaining Rapadura with your cinnamon and set aside.

Adjust your rack in the oven and put it into middle position. Preheat oven to 450

Grease your muffin pan with coconut oil (OL116) Place  approximately 1 Tbs of blueberries into the bottom of each muffin tin. Then add 2Tbs of dough on top of the berries. Sprinkle with the tops with your cinnamon/rapadura mixture.

Bake in oven for 10 min. at 450 degrees. Reduce to 350 and bake until each popover is nice and firm and golden brown in color. It should take another ten minutes or so.

Take out and serve hot with some organic vanilla ice cream (FD047)… simply amazing!!

You can’t tell from the photo how nice and ‘puffy’ they were! Try them for yourself… I’m sure they’ll be a hit in your home too! Don’t forget the ice cream….

This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Peanut Butter Granola

Healthy snacks are such an important part of our menu planning. I have learned that I must have healthy foods available when hunger comes calling!
This is a quick granola recipe you can make that will satisfy all those hungry tummies in your home! I hope you enjoy as much as we do!
Ingredients:
2 Tbs organic butter (DP050)
1/3 cup Peanut Butter (NB067)
1/3 cup Honey (SW009)
1/2 tsp Vanilla (BP018)
1/4 tsp Salt (BP072)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (HS592)
3 Cups of Rolled Oats (We roll our own oat groats item number: GR107. If you do NOT have an oat roller you will want to buy oats already rolled item number:CE201)
1 apple (QP222)
1/2 cup Raisins optional (DF064)
Melt butter and peanut butter in a pan on the stove top. Melt and bring to a rumble not quite a boil. Add honey, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and allow to come to a boil. stir constantly. Then add oats and finally diced apple. Mix completely then serve up to enjoy! Very yummy indeed!!
Until our next chat…
Mrs. Joseph Wood

Beef Enchiladas with Sprouted Tortillas

People often tell me that they are just too busy to make healthy meals. I understand their concern. I remember thinking the same thing when I first started learning about better meals for my family! Azure offers several pre made meals that I love to send with Joe on his deliveries. Then there are the times that I want something fast here at home too! That’s when I turn to a few favorite products that I can quickly put together for a delicious meal that will satisfy my family for hours!

Let me introduce you to my star ingredients:

2 packages Sprouted Wheat Tortilla’s Fajita Size (Item number: FG154) I like using these best because they are thinner than the Ezekiel Sprouted Tortillas (Item number: FG150) Today I used both! Why sprouted? Sprouted tortillas are full of nutrition that the body can easily put to use. Sprouted tortillas also give the dish a delicious flavor.

2 pounds Ground Beef (Item number: MT003) Azure offers beef from livestock that are raised on certified organic range pasture! If you’re not use to buying pasture raised beef you’ll be surprised by all the flavor beef has without the need to add seasoning. Another tip, when cooking don’t cook it too high and too fast.

2 cans Rice and Beans (Item number: GY720) Azure sells Eden Organic products to help us on those busy days when cooking rice and beans from scratch just wasn’t fitting into the schedule. I love having resources that are quick in the kitchen without jeopardizing the nutrition of the dish. I used 1 Tbs per tortilla.

1 tsp Garlic Salt (Item number: BP012) I am a fan of RealSalt! Organic natural garlic salt that contains no MSG! I am very generous when salting my dish. I am confident that serving RealSalt is not only tasty but good for the family!

1/2 tsp Organic Ground Pepper (Item number: HS604) If you’re not use to the spices from Azure you may not know what you’re missing. I especially like to ground my own peppercorns for a rich, fresh flavor! Whole Black Peppercorns (Item number: HS176)

2 cans Crushed Tomatoes (Item number: GY851) is what I use instead of a tomato sauce. Eden Organic several varieties including, Crushed Tomatoes with Sweet Basil (Item Number: GY855)  or Crushed Tomatoes with Roasted Garlic (Item number: GY857)  Any of these would be a wonderful addition however, for today I used Crushed Tomatoes. You’ll use 1 can to make your tortillas and one can to cover the top of the dish. Adding the sauce and plenty of cheese to each tortilla ensures your dish won’t be dry. 

8 ounces Cheddar Cheese, Raw Milk (Item number: CH096) We often make our own cheese but sometimes we just don’t have the time. In those moments I find this an acceptable substitution. In fact, the children enjoy trying the variety of cheese that Azure sells so we can see which one is our favorite and try to “master” it for our home cheese making.

2 cups of Mild Cheddar Cheese (Item number: CH086) You could also use the Mexican Blend Cheese (Item number: CH181) I probably would have used a few bags of this Mexican Blend if I not forgotten to order some! Take a look at Azure’s cheese selection and find the product that you would like most. You don’t have to do it specific to what I do. I change the products I use in my recipes often. Sometimes I surprise myself and find a new favorite!

1 Chopped Onion (Item number: QP018) I think onions make any dish taste better. In fact, if you look at the photo you’ll notice I actually used THREE onions… I don’t know how much of that I ate raw while assembling and I did have left overs. I suppose the average person would find one onion to be plenty!

There are so many variables that you can do to this dish. Add some spinach or  maybe even try some Black Olives the possible are abundant.

Thoroughly cook your meat and season with garlic salt and pepper. Heat up your Rice and beans, chop your onion, and shred your cheese. Open up your cans of crushed tomatoes and set before you with your other ingredients for assembling your tortillas. Take one tortilla and put 1 Tbs of meat, 1 Tbs of rice and beans, 1 Tbs of crushed tomatoes, a few onions, a heaping teaspoon of each cheese and fold and place into a 9X13 pan.

Once your pan is full of filled tortillas cover  with your other can of crushed tomatoes. Then put the remaining cheese over the top and back at 350 until cheese is melted and browning around the edges.

Serve with a fresh green salad and enjoy!!

Until our next chat….

Mrs. Joseph Wood

The Three Step Smoothie

Ingredients:
Hazelnut Milk (Item Number: DA199)
Natural Strawberries (Item Number: FG448)
Natural Raspberries (Item Number: FG449)

Supplies:
Personal Blender (Item Number: HA029) I love this blender!! So simple to use that the children use it for a quick smoothie before they go back out to work on the farm!

Directions:
Place berries in blender, then pour in Hazelnut Milk and blend! It's that simple! In less than ten minues you have a delicious smoothie to refresh you for the day!

It’s National Tatertot Day!!!

It has been years since my family has had a bag of Tatertots. I don’t know if it was the fact that frozen food is not typically an affordable way to feed a large family or if there was some nutritional wisdom that kept me from buying these for my family. Whatever the case, our Tatertot deprived days came to an end when I learned we can make them simply, affordably, and deliciously!

Let me share how I did it!

First, you’ll want to make sure you take advantage of the natural and organic produce Azure offers. I don’t know anywhere else that provides such high quality natural products as affordably as Azure! This month Azure offers the following for your potato selection:

Organic Russett Potatoes (item number: QP157) @ .81 cent’s a pound.  “Russett potatoes, sometimes called starchy potatoes, tend to be long and have a coarse, cork-like skin. They are high in starch, with a dry, mealy texture. But, they turn light and fluffy when cooked.”

Organic Yukon Gold Potatoes (item number: QP158) @ 1.25 a pound. “The Yukon Gold is an all-purpose potato. It is moister than a baking potato and will hold together in boiling water. It is particularly well-suited to roasting, pan frying, and using in soups, stews, and gratins. It can be baked, mashed, and fried, but will not produce the same results as a baking potato.”

Organic Red Potatoes (item number: QP034) @ .94 cents a pound. “Red potatoes are excellent boiling potatoes. They have a thin, smooth, red skin and white flesh. Relatively high in moisture and sugar, but low in starch, they are ideal for soups, casseroles, potato salad, roasting, and barbecuing because of their tendency to hold their shape. You can mash them, but instead of smooth and creamy, the results will tend to be thick and lumpy.”

Once you’ve chosen your potato of choice you’ll want to bake them till soft and then let cool. This is a great project to do the night before so you can minimize your morning duties and get a ‘head start’ on the day!

Once your potatoes are cooked, peal them and place in food processor

Using your pulse feature on the food processor blend your potatoes up Add salt (BP112), pepper (HS263) and garlic powder (HS598) to your families personal tastes.

Using your cookie scoop, form your Tatertots and prepare your stove top pan for frying. I use my cast iron pan on Med/Hi temp. I use enough coconut oil (OL116) to fill the bottom of the pan and wait for it to become very hot. You’ll know when your oil is hot enough when you hear the oil sizzle as you place each Tatertot into the pan.

Fry on each side till golden brown. Approximately three minutes. Then let cool on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath to catch any extra oil drippings.

Enjoy with some organic ketchup (CO064)! The trick to this dish in our home is not letting everyone eat them as they cook. They seem to fly off the tray faster than we can fry them up! This is definitely a recipe you will want to double, or even triple!!

ENJOY!

Mrs. Joseph Wood

The National Peanut Butter Winner Is….

Last week, January 24th, was National Peanut Butter day. I asked for submissions of everyone’s favorite peanut butter recipe on our Facebook page.  If you haven’t yet joined us you can do so by visiting: www.facebook.com/azurestandard The recipes, along with photos will be shared for each of the entries. You can view them on our Facebook page under, “photos” and then, “National Peanut Butter Day”. We look forward to seeing you over there and getting to know you more!

Azure offers a variety of peanut butters for your family. My favorite is, MaraNatha’s Chunky salted peanut butter or  Creamy salted natural peanut butter by Natural Value. Peanut butter has been used in stews and sauces for centuries. However, peanut butter as we know it today did not become popular until the late 1800’s. Dr. George Washington Carver is recognized for his research and development for over 300 uses for peanuts. According to Peanut Butter Lovers, peanut butter became popular at the Universal Exposition of 1904 in St. Louis when C.H. Summer first introduced his peanut butter to the world. Providing 8-9 grams of protein for every two tablespoons means that peanut butter is a great source of protein! If you’re not use to buying natural peanut butter you’ll want to know a few simple things:

• Peanut butter needs to be refrigerated after you open it.
• Natural peanut butter does separate. Simply stir and you’re ready to enjoy your favorite peanut butter recipe!
• You can store peanut butter for six months unopened and then another six months in the refrigerator.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their favorite peanut butter recipe. We have selected five entries to be tested in our kitchen. The children have picked the winner out of the following recipes.

Our first entry was: “Grab a tablespoon. Unscrew P-nut Butter lid. Dip spoon into P-nut butter. Eat. Repeat with new spoon :-)” This was a hit for sure!!

Our second entry selected was: “Take a slice of bread, put in toaster. Once it's toasted spread peanut butter on it.” Could eating peanut butter get any better than spread on a slice of Sprouted Bread?

The third entry submitted was a peanut butter no bake protein ball! I loved this idea and have decided to add this to my list of healthy snacks! If you would like the recipe make sure you check the Healthy Snack photo album on our Facebook Page

Our fourth recipe to try out in the kitchen was the Peanut Butter Bars. My 13 year old said that if organic always tasted this good no one would eat any other way!

And the final recipe submitted and taste tested was the Thai Peanut Noodles. This was the first time for our family to taste Thai food. I used all my products from Azure Standard except for the Thai Chili sauce simply because they don’t carry that product. I liked knowing that this could be made with natural, non GMO products.

And the winner was…..

PEANUT BUTTER BARS submitted by Julie B.from South Dakota!!!! CONGRATULATIONS Julie!!!! We will also be hosting your recipe with photos on the blog’s index page titled, “Peanut Butter Bars” Thank you again to everyone who participated!!!

Until next time,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

A Leg of Lamb has never tasted so good!

Our family richly enjoys lamb! In fact, we raise our own here on the farm however, when we need extra we turn to Azure Standard where we know and trust the quality! Today, I made up one of our favorite recipes. I took pictures so I could share it with you too! If you have a favorite lamb recipe I would love to hear!

Mrs. Joseph Wood

1 boneless leg of lamb (MT040) Thaw and remove the netting from the leg (save this. We’ll need it later) of lamb.Then open up the leg and place in your 9X13 pan

generously apply salt (BP066), pepper (HS604), rosemary (HS192)

Chop one apple (QP222)

Chop one onion (QP018)

1 cup of Basmati Rice (GR073) We have also used wild rice (GR089) or brown Basmati Rice (GR038)

Pour about have your rice  over the leg and then stuff as much of the apple and onion as you can. Then roll the leg so that it looks like this:

After you have rolled this up place your netting back over the now stuffed leg of lamb.

Once you have placed the netting back on the leg of lamb put all remaining apples, onions and rice (that you could not fit into the leg of lamb) around it in the pan. Add some more salt, pepper and rosemary  and then add 1-2 cups more of rice, another apple and another onion as well as 1-2 cups of water. It should fill your pan up about half way. Cover with foil and cook for two hours. Then open up and stir your rice mixture and add another 1-2 cups of water. Cover and put back in the oven for 2 more hours.

 

While baking the aroma fills the home causing everyone’s anticipation to grow! After four hours of baking covered at 350 degrees you will have a delicious, melt in your mouth meal! ENJOY!

Sprouts

Enjoying sprouts is a year around experience at my house! We love our sprouts!My favorite is to take the Sprout Mix that Azure Standard offers and mix it with lentils. However, we have done a variety of combinations over the years. Once sprouted we place on some whole wheat bread, with fresh chopped garlic, add a dash of sea salt. There you have a simple, sensational, sprout sandwich!

Start with your sprout mixture. You’ll want approximately 1/4 of a cup for a half gallon glass jar. You don’t want to add too many seeds!

Place your sprouts into a 1/2 gallon jar. Using your metal ring lid insert your sprouting screen that you can easily find at Azure by using the hyperlinks I have listed here in this post.

 

Cover the seeds with water then drain. Set the jar in your warm window sill.

In about five to seven days your seeds will fully develop into delicious sprouts! This photo was taken at day three or four.

 

Enjoy!

Mrs. Joseph Wood

Rice Milk Strawberry Banana Smoothie… oh…. sooo good!

I can’t think of any other mid afternoon treat that my family enjoys more than a good smoothie! Today, I had Beth-Joy journey into the kitchen to use the rice milk and strawberries I had in the freezer. What came out of the kitchen was a delicious combination of bananas, strawberries and rice milk! If you’re new to “rice milk” let me give you a proper introduction!

Rice Milk Item number: DA124  Rice milk a delicious addition to your healthy diet. Rice Milk is an all natural, non-dairy beverage. While it may be lactose free, cholesterol free, and gluten free it is NOT free of flavor! Rice Milk provides you with as much calcium and vitamin D as milk. Rice milk is processed from brown rice making it a large source of carbs yet is low in fat. Keep in mind that rice milk is not meant to replace infant formula. For our smoothies today we used the plain rice milk however, Azure Standard also carries a vanilla flavor as well (Item number: DA126). For this recipe you could even use the Almond Milk if you like. Item number: DA090 We find that rice milk gives the smoothie a nice light flavor and leaves us feeling refreshed!

Now, that you’ve been properly introduced to Rice Milk let’s get busy making a delicious smoothie!

You’ll need 3 cups of Rice Milk

2 cups of frozen Strawberries

1 Banana chopped

Blend until smooth! If you would like to have a sweeter flavor feel free to add: 1/8 cup of raw honey (I love Azure’s Orange Blossom Honey item number: SW115) It’s that easy! There are countless other options. Blueberries (item number: FG012) and Banana is another hit over here in our home.

Beef Stew

Step One:
Cut 5lbs of beef (organic pasture raised) into Lg 1/4inch chunks and place on cookie tray. Generously season with:
Celtic Sea Salt (Code: BP112)
Organic Pepper (Code: HS604)
and Garlic Powder (Code: HS074)
Bake at 350 for 15min

Step Two:
Now place into stew pot with 2TBL organic beef broth (Code: QS016), 1 bulb of garlic (Code: QP324)& cook over medium heat for 20min then add 4cups water and turn on low.

Step Three:
Chop the following:
6 Lg potatoes (Code: QP034)
1 stock celery (Code: QP063)
1 yellow onion (Code: QP018)
Put 1/4cup coconut oil in Lg skillet. Add all chopped veggies & cook till tender. Then add to stalk pot along with 4cubs beef broth (Code: QS016). Cook on high till boiling then turn down to low & cook till thick. Aprox 4hrs.

After 4hrs your stew should look like this and taste amazing!

ENJOY!