Image by Magic Madzik

Learning to cook without recipes can be not only a huge time-saver in the kitchen, but a money-saver as well.

Soup is an incredibly versatile food. It can be hearty and chunky, or light and refreshing, vegetable based or full of meats, beans and grains. It can be a meal in itself or a side dish. It can be made using specific, fresh ingredients, or very frugally by putting together the week's leftovers.

Most importantly, it is nourishing and satisfying. When made using homemade bone broth, it is also healing and aids greatly in proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Soup should be a standard in every whole food home.

Here is my 5 step process to make excellent soups (95% of the time- we all have our flops!) from scratch, but without using recipes:

1) Start With an Empty Pot and Some Oil

The first step in making any soup for me is to heat up some oil in the pot, with no liquids added. It might be butter if I'm making a roux for a creamy soup, or just some coconut oil or beef tallow to fry up some onions and garlic in.

If I'm making a soup with vegetables in it, like chopped carrots, celery, peppers or mushrooms, I always add these veggies to the oil and onions. Letting them saute for a few minutes before adding any broth or liquids add more flavor to the soup.

Image by whitneyinchicago

2) Use Homemade Bone Broth

I used to think that soup needed those little cubes or cans of store-bought broth to taste good. I was so wrong. Once you get used to using homemade bone broth in soups, nothing will ever taste the same again.

For a tutorial in making bone broth, see this post. For more on how to get just the right consistency to your broth and to ensure that you are drawing the gelatin and nutrients out of the bones, read What Bone Broth Should Look Like.

Add your broth after you've sauteed the veggies for a few minutes. You'll want to bring the soup to a boil as you're tossing in more of the ingredients listed below. Make sure that you cook it long enough for things like carrots or potatoes to cook sufficiently.

If you're making a creamy soup, start adding ingredients only after your roux is complete. Add the broth or other liquids next, and then add any vegetables, meat or fish, beans, etc.

3) Add Other Ingredients

This is the fun part. There are countless ingredients that you can chuck into a soup and it's hard to go wrong.

Here are some of the ingredients that frequent my soups:

• Lots of Veggies- Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, chopped greens (spinach/chard/kale), tomatoes, celeriac (celery root), potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, turnips, parsnips, peas, corn...
• Animal Protein- Beef (either stew beef or roast leftovers or even cooked ground beef), chicken (from a roast chicken, cut-up breast, ground), sausages, lamb, turkey, fish (canned fish, or chopped filets), eggs (beaten first and then whisked into the soup)
• Beans and Legumes- Lentils, any type of beans, split peas
• Dairy- Milk or cream, kefir or yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche, cheese
• Grains- Barley, brown rice, wild rice, tortilla strips, dumplings, brown rice pasta

Sometimes I make soup by cleaning out my fridge. Other times I just start adding ingredients that seem like they would work well together. I might have a specific goal in mind (a seafood chowder, an Italian style-soup, a way to use up extra cauliflower). Any way you approach it, you can make something that will fit the bill.

Image by smittenkittenoriginals

4) Season Your Soup

I tend to think that this makes or breaks a soup. Seasonings can take ordinary ingredients and make them into something really extraordinary.

The key is to try to think of flavors that might mesh well with what you've already got going, and that will mesh well with each other as well.

If you've added a lot of hearty vegetables with beef, you could give it an Italian twist by adding a can of tomatoes, putting in some leftover or frozen beans, and lots of herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. A bit of apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar might be nice (just a splash). Garlic is always good.

OR

You could take that same hearty beef and veggie soup, and give it more of a Mexican feel. Add some cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic and onion powder, and some chili or cayenne. Frozen corn is a nice addition. Serve it with tortilla strips or crumbled chips on top, some sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. Avocado would also be nice.

Here are a few more ideas to get you started:

• A tangy Thai influenced chicken soup, with peas, bean sprouts, ginger, garlic, and lemon or lime.
• A warming, root veggie soup, similar to a Scotch Broth. Think carrots, turnips, parsnips, with a beef or lamb base, and some pot barley as well. Onions and leeks, parsley and simple salt and pepper work well to season it up.
• A creamy cauliflower/broccoli soup, using a chicken base, some dry mustard, lots of sea salt, and cheddar cheese.
• A curried squash soup. Try adding onion and garlic, apples, maybe some coconut milk, and of course, curry powder.

Don't underestimate the importance of adding seasonings ON TOP of your soup. A sprinkle of Parmesan or grated cheddar cheese. Fried tortilla strips or sourdough croutons. Creme fraiche drizzled, or a big dollop of sour cream. Fresh herbs like basil, oregano or cilantro strewn across. These are the finishing touches that add so much.

Image by WorththeWhisk

5) Blend It

Yes, really. Blending soup is one of the keys that I have learned for helping flavors to meld together and really bring out the best in each other.

I use different levels of blending depending on the soup. Some soups, like a Curried Apple Squash, would benefit from complete blending so that they're smooth and creamy. Some, like a Chicken Lentil Vegetable is really nice pseudo-blended. Enough to mix the flavors and create a thicker, richer soup base but not so much that you lose the veggie and chicken chunks.

Almost every soup benefits from at least a few quick pulses of a hand held blender, regardless of how smooth or chunky you want the texture to be. I just do it straight in the pot, and there is virtually no extra cleanup. I love it.

Do you make soup from scratch? What types of flavors and combinations are your favorites?

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Beef Pot Roast with Winter Root Vegetables, a la Nourished Kitchen (see below)

I love passing on real food recipes, whether they're tried and true, or newly acquired favorites.

Lately, though, I just haven't been cooking up anything all that interesting! With my trip to the Blissdom conference earlier this month, just a busy month in general for our family, and cleaning out my fridge in preparation for going on the GAPS diet, I just don't have anything all the exciting to share with you this month.

Enter my amazing real food blogging friends!

The more I get to know this group of ladies, the more blessed I am. They spur me on, challenge me, teach me, inspire me, and understand me. They are a wonderful bunch, and if you haven't already visited their blogs, you don't know what you're missing. If you can, take the time to visit at least one (or more!) of their blogs this week!

I put out a request for some of the delicious, nourishing food that they've been serving up lately, and this is what they sent me:

From Kelly @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop

The first recipe that came to mind was my post about how my family and I ate liver and actually loved it!  Even our teenager ate it without a clue that the liver was in there.  Super nutrient-dense and tasty, too, it doesn't get any better. 

Donielle's amazing Maple Syrup Mashmallows!

From Donielle @ Naturally Knocked Up

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

Maple Syrup Marshmallows

Another good one just this last week was Scott's (Zukay) Classic Sauerkraut recipe

From Jenny @ Nourished Kitchen

Beef Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables: Grass-finished beef, parsnips, carrots and turnips are slow-roasted with red wine and fresh thyme for a savory, nourishing and easy-to-prepare winter supper.
Molasses Custard: Gently sweetened by molasses, this custard is a dessert as wholesome as it is flavorful, brimming with minerals and healthy fats.

Chicken Chili and Cornbread Muffins

From Jo-Lynne @ Musings of a Housewife

We love these wholesome homemade corn muffins.  They are sweet and tasty and a perfect compliment to another tried and true family favorite, chicken chili.  We eat this meal at least twice a month, and the best part is, there is always plenty of leftovers -- enough for another meal, or for a meal to take to a family in need.

Mmmm... I'm honestly salivating as I post up everyone's recipes and photos. I cannot wait to have a healed gut so that I can indulge in some of this deliciousness!

Which recipes have you been loving lately? Please, share them and I promise not to drool too much!

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There's something so gourmet and cultured sounding about it (no pun intended!), and yet it is one of the simplest types of cultured dairy that you can make. Basically, creme fraiche is cultured cream. It's that simple.

For some reason I held off trying it out for a long time. I was so happy to discover that creme fraiche is actually ridiculously easy to make. After I tried it for the first time, I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to give it a go.

Why I like to make my own Creme Fraiche:

• It just tastes so good and adds such a wonderful touch to my meals.
• It provides us with extra enzymes to help us digest our meals, especially those with meat or grains in them. Another easy way to get more cultured/fermented foods in our diet!
• Even the organic sour cream I buy at the store contains stabilizers and thickeners (skim milk powder, tapioca starch, guar gum, carageenan), rather than just relying on bacterial cultures to do all the thickening work. Those ingredients just aren't necessary. I'd rather stick to the simplest list of ingredients possible.
• It can be more cost effective than purchasing organic sour cream, even when made with organic or raw, grass-fed dairy (depending on the cost of what's available to you).
• For those who can get an abundance of raw milk, you can make a product infinitely more nutritious than what is sold in any store!

Here's how you do it:

Start with a glass pint jar. Add about 1-2 Tbsp of cultured buttermilk to the bottom of it. I used store-bought, but if you like to make your own, that would work just fine as well.

Fill the rest of the jar up with heavy cream/whipping cream. If you like to skim yours off of your raw milk, more power to you. We don't get enough raw milk that I'm willing to give up all that cream that makes it so lovely. I usually prefer to use organic cream or another local brand that raises their cows better, but this time I was stuck with the regular store stuff. Even with regular store cream, it's still so much better than buying sour cream with all the stuff that they put in it.

I use plastic screw lids that are made to fit canning jars, and let it sit out on my counter for 24-36 hours until thickened and mildly sour-smelling. I like to write on the lids with a wipe-able marker so that it's obvious what's in them. The jar should sit in a somewhat warmer place in your kitchen. For me, that's the corner counter beside my stove. Another good place is the top of the fridge.

Another helpful thing to do is to write the day that it needs to be transferred to the fridge so that you don't lose track of how long it has been sitting out for. Mine says Jan.6 so that my mother-in-law knew when to put it in the fridge while I was away at Blissdom.

Oops, guess we ate most of the jar before I remembered to take a picture! It's hard to tell, but the consistency is somewhere between cream and sour cream. Slightly pourable, but definitely thickened. The taste is deliciously but mildly sour. One thing I have found is that the consistency begins a little bit more liquidy and then thickens up slightly once it's been in the fridge.

We love to add our creme fraiche to soups for extra enzymes, on top of any type of Mexican food, with our scrambled eggs (with fresh salsa it's a knockout breakfast), with potatoes or sweet potatoes, or almost anything else we can come up with. With my kids, it seems that creme fraiche is the new ketchup!

What types of cultured dairy does your family regularly eat? Which of those have you tried making yourself?

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Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

With the odd combination of sweet potato and black beans, I would have not guessed just how good these would be, but they really are amazing and addictive! We like to eat them with sour cream/creme fraiche and fresh guacamole, and I make them using my homemade soaked tortillas. They're also a great meal to triple and then you can eat one meal, while freezing two. To serve the frozen meals, I just allow the burritos to thaw for several hours, then put them in the oven at 350 until they're warm again. They turn out just a teeny bit crisper than when made fresh, but they still taste great and make such a nice, simple meal on a busy day.

Bierocks

I'm always looking for new ways to serve cabbage to my family and this recipe has turned out to be a real winner. The first time I ever made it, my husband was on a yeast-free diet so I couldn't use bread dough. Instead I made them with a soaked biscuit dough and we liked it so much that I have never bothered with bread dough at all, though someday I might try it that way. I like to make a big batch of these as well, as they make a wonderful food to pull just 1 or 2 from the freezer when my husband needs a lunch to go, or a whole bag to reheat for a dinner. I serve these with sour cream/creme fraiche (I keep saying both because we use either/or depending on what we have at the moment) and grainy or dijon mustard. The kids like them with ketchup instead of the mustard.

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes (aka gluten/grain free muffins!)

Currently, our family is on the Maker's Diet, so I'm actually drooling a bit as I write about the first two recipes with tortillas and biscuit crust! We're grain free/sugar free/starch free while on Stage 1 and Stage 2. I found this recipe on The Nourishing Gourmet for a muffin made using coconut flour instead. Now I cheated and just ground up unsweetened shredded dried coconut in my blender to make a "flour". I also made almond flour (by grinding soaked/dehydrated almonds) and I used the two "flours" to make an all-purpose mix. I substituted my flour mix for the coconut flour in this recipe and used stevia instead of the honey, and then all blueberries because they're sweeter than raspberries. They turned out pretty well and feel like a real treat to us since all other muffins are off limits. My only complaint is that they're too soft because of all the eggs in them, but that's what you get with completely grain free muffins, I suppose. They actually get nicer left out on the counter (because they dry out a little), or so I think anyways. My one recommendation is to double this recipe, at minimum, because it makes less than a dozen and they're quite small. I like bigger muffins, so I triple this to make 18 decent sized muffins.

Another use for coconut/almond flour: I used my flour mix, added some melted butter and 1/2 tsp salt to make a crust for quiche. I just mixed it up and pushed it into the pan and baked it for 10 min. at 350, then baked my quiche as usual. It was a bit crumbly but a wonderfully tasty substitute!

Fermented Salsa (Nourishing Traditions)

No, it's not an online recipe, but I figure probably half of my readers have Nourishing Traditions. I had a goal last year of introducing our family to more lacto-fermented foods and so I tried this just before the New Year to get one more new recipe in. We already love salsa so this wasn't much of a stretch, but I wondered if we would like it with a fermented taste to it. The recipe is similar to my own, so it seemed very familiar, but it did have just a bit of a more sour sort of kick to it. It was totally enjoyable, though, even to Ryan (the ultimate test). He didn't like it so much after a week in the fridge, however, as he felt that it got more sour as it went on. My one major suggestion is to hold off on the salt and lemon (or only put some of it in) until you taste it. The first time I made it with sweet, flavorful tomatoes. The second time the tomatoes were really bland (score one for eating seasonally only- out of season food is just not the same). Without the sweetness of the tomatoes, the salt/lemon became overpowering and I had to do some major adjustments. With good tomatoes this recipe is wonderful, though!

Peppermint Pattie Coconut Bark

This was my incredibly yummy, decadent indulgence all Christmas season long! This whips up in just over 5 minutes and freezes within about 20 and gets eaten almost as quickly. It's a wonderful way to get more coconut oil in your diet if you're not sure what to use it for. I've also tried this with stevia instead of sweetener and my hubby didn't like the taste, but I thought it did the trick. Perhaps when you're craving sweets and can't have them, even a not-quite-as-good imitation will do? Just make it the regular way and you won't be disappointed!

Blueberry Clafoutis

This is an unbelievably easy dessert to make! It takes 5 minutes to whip up the batter in the blender, then pour it over the berries and bake. Done. One recipe isn't enough, so I always double it at least. Nice with a dollop of whipped cream for dessert, but also nice sans whip cream for breakfast. On our grain free regimen, this has been a nice change of pace for breakfast fare. One tip: don't ever bake it with a lid on. It will be gooey and will sink. Ask me how I know.

Easily distracted- I took this picture before making my zucchini into pizzas- just imagine them with pizza toppings!

Zucchini or Summer Squash "Pizzas"

My newest creation. I had been craving pizza during this grain free diet and wanted to see if I could find a way to make it without a grain crust. Since zucchini works in pasta-free lasagna, I figured it just might do the trick as a base for making pizza, too. I used these cute little gray summer squash (like a short, gray-green version of a zucchini) and sliced them so they were about 1/4 inch thick. I layered on tomato sauce, meat and cheese as usual then baked then at 350 for 5 min. The short cooking time is key, because my husband took seconds that had been sitting on the hot baking stone I used and he said it had become a bit too soft to eat easily and wasn't quite as nice. So just enough time to warm them and melt the cheese, to keep the "crust" nice and firm. Very tasty and easy!

What real food recipes have you been enjoying lately? Please share them with us!

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My beloved recipe binder!

It doesn't get much simpler and cheaper than this, and yet this system is a really efficient way to manage all of my favorite recipes. Since I began using the internet in a more significant way, I now find that I rely on my printed and handwritten recipe cards much more than I use my cookbooks these days. Transforming one binder into my recipe store-all has made meal time preparation oh-so-much-easier!

To make a similar binder of your own, here's what you will need:

• A large photo album (the kind with plastic pages with slots intended for slipping photos into), that has a 3-ring binder system that you can open and close. I think I got mine in a set of 2 albums for about $10.
• Lots of index cards. White, colored, it doesn't matter. The dollar store can be a great place to buy them cheap.
• Some sort of sticky, colored tabs. I am currently using paper sticky tabs, similar to mini Post-It notes. These are only temporary, as they will ultimately come off or rip. Next chance I get, I'm going to pick up some Post-It Flags (like these) which are much more durable. The other option is to get actual binder dividing pages, although these will add more bulk to your binder, which I doubt that you need (I know that I certainly don't- it's full enough on its own!).

An inside look. It's certainly nothing fancy. I do love, though, how I can flip through and see at a quick glance the recipes that I'm looking for, through the plastic page protectors.

To keep it organized by recipe type, here's what I've done with my tabs:

I didn't color coordinate my tabs, although you could. There's a bit of method to my madness in that all of my Main Dish tabs are dark pink, both of my Treats tabs are light pink, but it doesn't go much beyond that. The main point was to change up the colors and space them out so that I could easily find what I'm looking for.

Here is how I've organized my recipes:

• Main- Chicken
• Main- Beef (meat)
• Main- Fish
• Main- Vegetarian
• Veggies and Sides
• Salads
• Soups and Stews
• Appies
• Treats- Healthy
• Treats- Company (not so healthy, but ones I sometimes serve to guests who aren't into my healthy offerings as much)
• Breakfast
• Drinks
• Breads
• Special Holiday (like Passover recipes, for instance)
• Dressings/Sauces
• Condiments
• Finger foods (pickles, beef jerky, etc.)

I'm sure that you could come up with other categories or ways of ordering your recipes, but this is just what works for me. Each category gets just enough pages to fit how many recipes I currently have, but the beauty of using something with a 3-ring binder system is that I can keep all of my empty, unused pages at the back of the binder and as I need a new page, I just grab one from the back, open up the rings and stick it in the category where it belongs.

This last photo is just to show you how this system works, even without having each and every one of your recipes printed neatly onto matching 3 x 5 index cards (because most of us just aren't like that in real life, are we?). You can see that in my binder, I have a bit of a mish-mash, but it really doesn't matter. On this page you can see 2 recipes that I copied out onto cards (one from a friend, and one from a library cookbook). There's another recipe that is a photocopy from a friend's cookbook, with some of my own notes scrawled on it. The one on the bottom left is taken from a blog (Turkey Stromboli from Heavenly Homemakers). I copied the text in the blog post, pasted it into a Word document, printed it and then just folded it up to fit.

One good thing to know if you're big into getting recipes from online sites (like allrecipes.com, or epicurious, etc.) is that most of them have a printing option to create a 3x5 index card. When you choose this option, you can just cut out the recipe, fold it in half, and it's a perfect size for fitting in your recipe binder!

Ahh... at last. All of my recipes are organized and meal planning will be a snap. Now does someone just want to come and do my cooking for me? Pretty please?

(Scratch that. I like cooking. Wanna clean my toilets or put away my laundry? Any takers?)

What kind of a system do you use for keeping your recipes organized?

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All through the Christmas holidays, there was one particular pile that continued to be moved around from table to table, dresser to desk, and back to the table again. I am thrilled to announce, though, that the pile is soon to be completely gone as I am nearly done my recent recipe overhaul!

My recipe organization has been a two part process. Yesterday I hinted about one aspect of it that I will share today, which is my favorite meal lists.

Using my lovely ListPlanIt lists (did I mention I love these lists and that there just might be another giveaway coming up soon?), here is what I've done. These are my Beef and Chicken Recipe lists. I know you can't see it really well in this picture, but the left hand column lists the recipe name, the middle column tells me where to find that recipe (my recipe binder, the name of a specific cookbook, or if there isn't really a recipe, rebellious cook that I am), and the right column is for any notes about that particular recipe (variations on it, things to serve it with, whether hubby really loves it, etc.).

The beauty of these lists is that when I need to come up with a recipe including chicken, I don't need to rack my brains to try to remember which chicken recipes I have and like. One quick glance at my handy dandy Chicken page and I can find a recipe that suits my needs, and I know exactly where to find that recipe as well.

Here's another example:

My Soups and Stews list shows off another fun feature I added in. The "C" that is circled to the left of my recipe names denotes a recipe that is crockpot friendly! I've even thought of adding another page of purely crockpot recipes, which would be such a nice reference for my meal planning when I have days coming up that I know will be busy and could use the ease of a ready-made meal at 5:00pm.

So far, here are the lists that I've made for myself:

1. My 21 Meals
2. Main Dishes- Beef (I also use these with moose meat)
3. Main Dishes- Chicken (turkey, too)
4. Soups and Stews
5. Veggie Side Dishes
6. Salads (both meals and sides)
7. Condiments/Dressings/Seasonings
8. Desserts/Treats
9. Breads and Baking
10. still plan to add a Candida/Maker's Diet list, to make it easier each time we do a diet like this
11. also planning to add a "Good Meals for Guests" list

Want to Make Your Own Favorite Recipe Lists?

Though it can be a little bit time consuming, the process is fairly simple (and time consuming or not, you will not regret that you did it!). Here's how I did mine:

• I dumped all the recipe cards out of my recipe binder. Threw out the ones we don't like and never use. Re-sorted all the ones that are actually healthy and tasty into organized piles according to type of recipe.
• Used these recipes and my previous list of favorite recipes (which I made about 1 1/2 years ago) to start compiling my lists.
• Asked hubby many times along the way, "Do you like this recipe? Which do you like better? What are your favorite ___ recipes?" (Because a well-fed man is a happy man!)
• Carefully printed up my lists, making helpful notes to myself along the way

For those who haven't done this before, you will need to do a bit of extra work to get these to completion. If you've never made a list of your favorite recipes before, then you will need to spend some time going through your beloved cookbooks and any recipe binders/card holders that you use, so that you can make a list of everything you love and where to find it.

This was my 3rd time creating lists like these (over the course of about 5 years). Every time it gets easier and faster. The only reason it sat around a lot this Christmas season was because I was struggling to find the time to actually sit down and finish it up in the midst of our activities, and because I wanted it done in a neater and more organized fashion than it had been before.

Once you've made your lists, there are two options for using them. One is to actually put them in your recipe binder and add tabs onto them, making them into binder dividers for the different sections of your binder (if you even use a recipe binder like I do at all, which I'll show later this week).

The other option is to include them under the Meal Planning section of a homemaking binder. Yesterday I re-worked my homemaking binder because I wasn't using it the way that I had previously set it up. Now it is going to function as my Monthly/Weekly/Daily planner, as well as hold my Meal Planning pages, my Blog pages (future blog posts, to-do's, advertising management, etc.), as well as some other household management areas. I'll get to the homemaking binder in a few more weeks, though I will let you know throughout this organization series whenever I do something that is being added to the binder.

I love having these favorite recipe lists with my Meal Planning pages in my homemaking binder, but I'm thinking they would be right at home and very useful in my recipe binder as well, so I think I'm going to photocopy them and then I'll have them for both purposes. Only thing about that method is that if I update one with a new recipe, I need to update the other!

More to come on making your recipes organized and stress-less later this week!

Do you have a special system of organizing your recipes? How do you keep track of your tried-and-true favorites?

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More from Keeper of the Home

• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: My Recipe Binder | Keeper of the Home
• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Menu Planning | Keeper of the Home
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• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Notes from a Small Kitchen | Keeper of the Home

Back when I did my readers survey, I learned that finding nourishing, whole food recipes is right up there among your favorite topics on this blog. I thought that it might serve you all if I shared some great recipes from around the web and blogosphere each month. I'm making a point of sharing recipes that are family friendly and simple, as well as nourishing, because I like to keep it simple in my own kitchen. I'm not a gourmet, but I do appreciate foods that taste wonderful, as well as nourish our bodies. To make the recipes even more useful to you, I've given some of my own feedback from trying the recipes (instead of just linking to them), which I hope you find helpful!

If you have any recipes that you'd like me to try out and review, send them to my email (stephanie (at) keeperofthehome (dot) org) and if they're something I think my family would eat, I'll make a point of trying them and including them in my roundup if we enjoyed it!

Granola Bars

These granola bars received rave reviews in our home, and with some friends who tried them as well! They were the first granola bar recipe I've tried that really stayed together and didn't crumble, a must with little ones who need snacks on the go. My husband thought they were incredible and I've been asked to make them again and again. I used almonds instead of peanuts, because that's what I had on hand, but I'm sure they'd be great with peanuts as well (which I'm going to try next). I also had to use more Sucanat than honey, simply because I was running out of honey, and it still worked wonderfully. The only thing I don't like is that it's quite a process to make them: soak the oats/nuts/seeds, then dehydrate them all, then actually make the recipe. I think that I will soak and dehydrate large batches of the oats/nuts/seeds all at once, and then keep the extra ones stored away so that I can very quickly make a new batch when I want to.

Basil Tomato Soup

Such a fast and easy cream of tomato soup recipe! I use homemade bone broth (either chicken or beef both taste good). After the tomatoes and broth have simmered together, I like to blend mine with a stick blender to make a smoother soup. It's lovely with fresh basil but almost as good with dried (about 1 Tbsp dried is good), and honey works well instead of the sugar. You can use whole milk or lighter cream if you don't have whipping cream, and it just won't be quite as thick/rich but will still be tasty. And I never use 1/2 cup of butter (too expensive!), but more like a 1/4 cup and it's just fine that way. Remember, they're good fats so don't be scared of the cream and butter!

Banana Blender Muffins (from Sue Gregg)

These are my most standard muffin recipe. They are so quick and simple to make, starting them in the blender before bed and finishing them up in the morning. I always make a double batch (though you need a pretty big blender to do so- I have a Vitamix). I like to add things like blueberries, raspberries, different kinds of nuts, etc. My recent favorite variation is to use frozen cranberries (which I bought on a smoking sale after Thanksgiving and just washed/froze for baking). The cranberries have a perfect tart flavor that complements the simple sweetness of the muffins. It's also really nice with just a little streusel (unrefined sugar/cinnamon) sprinkled on the top before baking.

Soaked Granola

This is my new standard granola recipe. It's delicious with either just raw milk or with yogurt and berries. Such a nice, quick breakfast for busy mornings! Even though it's a soaked recipe, it comes together really easily. It takes about 5 minutes to start it the first day, then another 10 to get it mixed up and onto trays for drying, then another 5-10 to mix it up with all the goodies and put it in bags/jars. I just use bits of time that I have in the kitchen in between other tasks and it feels like a cinch to make. I don't like using so much maple syrup (because of the cost) so I substitute some Sucanat in and then just add a bit of extra liquid. For nuts/seeds, we really like using chopped (lightly roasted) almonds, and this time I'm going to try cashews for a change. I always add sunflower and pumpkin seeds, as well as sesame and flax seeds. Raisins are a must, and I tried dried cranberries last time which were great as well (have never tried the figs). One little trick I discovered recently is that the easiest way to break it all up once it's dry and ready to be stored is to take chunks of it and process them for a few seconds in the food processor. It gets it to a perfect texture in no time at all, saving me from having to break it all up with my fingers.

Spinach Rice Casserole

Having trouble getting greens into your kids (or husband)? Try this casserole! It's easy to whip up, and very tasty. My family really enjoys it. It makes a great side dish served alongside fish, especially (or so I think). I've also tried using fresh kale instead of the spinach and it was good, just use a bit less kale because it has a stronger flavor. Frozen spinach works fine, too, and I've made this using the chopped spinach I froze from my garden this summer.

Crock Pot Ragout

Note that you need to scroll down slightly and the recipe is just described under Thursday: Crock Pot Ragout, so it's not really obvious to see where it is. Made this just as the recipe said and we all enjoyed it. A good meal for a busy day. It's simple, nothing spectacular, but it satisfied hungry tummies and we definitely like it with ketchup. It's not super pretty looking, but I can get past that if it's quick and tasty!

BBQ Crockpot Ribs (this is Donielle's pic, not mine)

What can I say but yum? The sauce turned out so nicely. Definitely do these on low temp, so they have time to simmer and really get tender (esp. if you're using grass fed ribs). These made for such an easy but special dinner!

Roasted Beets

My own simple recipe that has become a new favorite. Here's how to do it: Dice several large beets (or quite a few smaller ones) in one inch cubes (approx.), toss in a baking pan with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Bake at 350 for 45 min, stirring once. Amazing! If you've never been a beet fan before, you need to give this recipe a try because it has converted my entire family, myself included. Now, I buy beets almost every time I'm at the market! It's seasonal for winter and so very nutritious. Seriously, I know you think you don't like beets, but promise me you'll try, ok?

And a few want-to-try recipes...

Have you seen any of the $1 Healthy Menu recipes over at The Nourishing Gourmet? Gingered Sweet Potatoes, Turnip and Squash Gratin and more... has anyone tried any of them yet? They'll find a place in my January menus!

What recipes has your family been loving lately?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
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• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Real Food Recipe Roundup: January | Keeper of the Home
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• Soaked Tortilla Tutorial | Keeper of the Home

Image by ishane

It's Week 2 of making this holiday season more meaningful using the book Celebrate with Joy!

How are your Advent activities going? We've been enjoying our special devotions (or "learning about Jesus' names", as my daughter says) so much. We've almost finished making our Names of Jesus garland, and it's going to be beautiful when it's finished. Each day we've been able to spend 10 minutes or so doing our Advent devotion, reading a scripture, doing a simple object lesson and then just discussing one of the many names that we use to describe our Savior.

Symbols of the Season- Chapter 3

This week I've spent some time reading through the chapter on Symbols of the Season. Here's what Sondra (the author of Celebrate with Joy) has to say:

"Wreaths, holly, bells, angels... these are not merely pretty decorations for the Christmas season. They are symbols rich with spiritual meaning. We should know why we use them and teach our children their significance.

In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were to preserve the spiritual importance of each key event. They were to teach the meaning of their festivals to their children. God knew His people had short memories. He commanded them to talk of His Law at all times. The parents were to focus their children's attention on God. Whether sitting at the table or taking a walk... they were to talk about Him at all times.

To restore the spiritual beauty of the Christmas season, let's pack our traditions with their true meaning. How much richer to hang a wreath on your front door knowing it symbolizes God's eternal love for His children... than simply to put up a pretty wreath because it is the "thing to do" in December."

There are a number of symbols discussed in the book, with some of the history into their meaning and some ideas for how to use them in your Christmas celebrations and decorating (candles, holly, stars, bells, etc.). Here are a few that I am going to work on including more in our own celebrations:

Nativity/Creche

The set I'd love to get, the Willow Tree Nativity Set

The only Nativity scenes that we have are children's ones (the Playmobil one and a really neat magnetic one for the fridge, where you add 1 new piece of the scene for each day of Advent). They're both fun and great for the children, but I've realized that I would really like to have a manger scene that I find beautiful to put out on display. Not sure that it's in the budget for this year, but I'm definitely thinking about it and will be keeping my eyes open when the after-Christmas sales hit. If anyone has some ideas for me of make-it-yourself projects that are simple and inexpensive, please share them in the comments section! In the meantime, I like some of Sondra's ideas for creating a putz scene (something depicting part of the story of Jesus' birth), like making a wall banner or decorating a window with parts of the story. It might be neat to decorate a large window with angels and stars and music notes, as the angels sang and glorified God at the birth of Christ.

Christmas Tree

Well, the tree is in the house, but not decorated as of yet. I need to remedy that today, as we're hosting a big Christmas party tomorrow night. Yikes! Sondra suggests making the tree more meaningful by doing themed decorations (angels, lamb of God, joy, Christmas story, etc.) and gives ideas of specific ornaments that you can make. One of the things that we have enjoyed doing in past years and will do again this year is use Adorenaments. These are a set of 12 ornaments, each portraying a different name of Jesus or aspect of who He is. Inside each ornament (they're thick cardboard and open like a card), there is something to read about Jesus as well as a scripture. On their fronts, they have an image (like a lamb, or a loaf of bread for the Bread of Life). We make these the last ornaments we put up, reading each of them before letting the kids put them on the tree. This adds a special element to our tree trimming time. I'm also considering making one new ornament with the kids and I found a lot of great craft and decor ideas here (scroll down to see a huge list of links to Christmas do-it-yourself crafts).

Wreath

(This is the one I saw at MomAdvice and want to make!)

I've never thought about the symbolism of the wreath before, but here are a few that are mentioned in the book:

• It speaks of God's never ending love... this should comfort us
• It pictures eternity. We will live forever in heaven with Christ if we are a part of His family... this should fill us with joy
• The evergreens are "ever green" and speak of life. His life in us can make us "forever fresh" with the goodness of the Lord... this should give us strength

I don't have a wreath, but I'd like to make one this year. I am thinking of attempting this beauty.

More Than Just Recipes- Chapter 8

Thought I would mention this chapter of the book as well, as it fits in so well with what's been happening here at Keeper of the Home this week! In this chapter, Sondra says "Many of our fondest memories sweep over us when we catch a scent reminiscent of mother's hot apple pie, or Aunt Lizzie's rich fruit cakes. Christmas is a time to celebrate God's goodness, and His blessing of delicious foods certainly should be enjoyed by all." I definitely agree!

This week I hosted the Healthy Holiday Eats and Sweets Carnival, which is just brimming with not only scrumptious but healthy and nourishing recipes as well (though I did notice that there were significantly more Sweet recipes than Eats... hmmm, do I detect a few sweet tooths among my readers? ) Take a look through the wonderful recipes included and see if there are any that you would like to add to your own food traditions (and yes, you may still comment with new recipes for me to add to the carnival!).

Celebrate with Joy can still be purchased for the remainder of the month (or until supplies run out):

Celebrate with Joy is a 192-page spiral bound book that includes:

• Advent... With Your Family- wonderful resources for using the season of Advent to prepare your hearts for celebrating Christ's birth
• Symbols of the Season- their meanings, how to use them
• A look at Christmas traditions- their value, ones worth keeping, how we can plan to establish unique family traditions
• Gala Gatherings- meaningful Christmas parties and get-togethers, including ideas for evangelism as well
• Grateful Giving and Gifts From the Heart
• The Twelve Nights of Christmas- celebrating from December 25-January 6 (a lesser known Christian holiday called Epiphany)
• More Than Just Recipes

Celebrate with Joy can be purchased for only $24.95 US including shipping. Books can be purchased through my site only, and will be sent directly to you as quickly as we can get them out so that you can still use them for as much of the Christmas season as possible! Supplies are limited, so if you'd like to get one, make sure to place your order quickly.

How do you use symbols and special recipes to accentuate the true meaning of Christmas and add to your holiday traditions?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Celebrate with Joy: Week 1 | Keeper of the Home
• Celebrate with Joy: Week 3 | Keeper of the Home
• Simply Celebrating Christmas! | Keeper of the Home
• spud! Review- Week 2 | Keeper of the Home

It's time to share all of our favorite, tried-and-true recipes! You know, the ones that you can't really imagine not having at your holiday table and that just taste like Christmas to you. Traditions are such an important part of how we celebrate holidays, and traditions involve all of the senses- including our smell and taste. Establishing food traditions, alongside our other relationally and spiritually significant traditions, helps to ingrain both the special times spent with loved ones as well as the rich meaning of those holidays deeper into our hearts and minds.

So what's unique about this collection of holiday recipes? They're made with real, whole, nourishing foods. They nourish the body as well as the soul. The allow us to keep a focus on good nutrition, without compromising on ingredients we wouldn't normally eat, while still enjoying the extra-special feast foods that set holiday meals and gatherings apart from everyday life.

Have you got a recipe to share?

1) Post your whole foods holiday recipe (ie. real fats like butter, coconut oil, tallow or olive oil, wholesome sweeteners, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, etc.) on your blog. Recipes can be absolutely ANYTHING that you like to eat or drink during the holiday season: cookies, vegetables side dishes, how to cook the perfect turkey, homemade food gifts, breakfast favorites, beverages, etc. They don't have to be new either, but it's perfectly fine to pull up your previously posted recipes that fit the bill.

2) Leave a comment below with a link to the recipe that you'd like to share (and yes, you can leave multiple recipes!) and the name of the recipe. I will go through the comments throughout the day and will add your recipe link to the carnival page. I will be adding each of the links manually (so note that it might be a couple hours before your link is added to the carnival), to ensure that there are no problems with Mr. Linky, as well as to give each blogger a legitimate link that contributes to their google ranking.

3) Please make sure that you link back to the Healthy Holiday Eats and Sweet Carnival (this post) in each of the recipe posts that you are contributing.

4) If you don't have a blog, please share your recipes or recipe links in the comments section! We'd love to hear from everyone!

And now, let the recipe fun begin!

Beverages

1. Incredibly Yummy Homemade Egg Nog @ Keeper of the Home
2. Hot Buttered Cranberry Apple Cider @ New Nostalgia
3. Sparkling Pomegranate Drink @ Hallee the Homemaker
4. Spiced Kombucha @ Cracking An Egg With One Hand

Sweet Treats

1. Janet's Cheesecake (my MIL's amazing recipe) @ Keeper of the Home
2. Rich Carob Balls and "Sugar" Cookies (using honey) @ Keeper of the Home
3. Scrumptious Gingerbread Cake @ Keeper of the Home
4. Praline Pumpkin Pie @ Healthy 'n' Happy Home
5. Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies @ What's Cooking?
6. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies @ Creative 2X Mom
7. Tree Trim Cranberry Trail Mix @ New Nostalgia
8. Sugar Free Peppermint Bark @ Organic & Thrifty
9. Almond Date Hearts @ Organic & Thrifty
10. Marvelous Maple Muffins @ Hallee the Homemaker
11. Sugar Free Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fruit Dip @ Inspired Homemaking
12. Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread @ Modern Alternative Mama
13. Dairy Free Ice Cream @ Modern Alternative Mama
14. Honey-Sweetened Apple Pie with Spelt Crust @ Nourished Days
15. Coconut Flour Orange Cake with Coconut Oil Frosting (GFCF) @ Nourished Days
16. 100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies @ Kitchen Stewardship
17. Gluten-Free Friendship Bars @ Green Acres
18. Healthy Pumpkin Pie @ Passionate Homemaking
19. Cinnamon Oranges @ Joy Comes From Within
20. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins @ Heavenly Homesteading

Savory Snacks and Appies

1. Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip @ Inspired Homemaking

Breakfast Recipes

1. German Pancake @ What's Cooking?
2. Breakfast Bread @ Nalaville Chronicles
3. Blender Gingerbread Pancakes @ Passionate Homemaking

Christmas Dinner- Main and Side Dishes

1. Chunky Butternut Squash Soup @ Keeper of the Home
2. Marinated Cucumbers and Onions @ Creative 2X Mom
3. Apple Cranberry Sauce @ Creative 2X Mom
4. Gluten-Free Ravioli @ Organic & Thrifty
5. White Bean and Ham Soup @ Inspired Homemaking
6. Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce and Gravy (gluten/casein free) @ Modern Alternative Mama
7. Baked or Mashed Sweet Potatoes @ Our House in the Middle of Our Street
8. Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Lasagna shared by Kelly
9. Sweet Potato Maple Cups @ Joy Comes From Within

Homemade Edible Gifts

1. Got Thyme On Your Hands? @ What's Cooking?
2. Easy Apple Sauce/Butter @ What's Cooking?
3. Tree Trim Cranberry Trail Mix @ New Nostalgia
4. Healthy Homemade Fudge @ Passionate Homemaking
5. Healthy Homemade Peanut Brittle @ Passionate Homemaking

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

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• Upcoming… Healthy Holidays Eats and Sweets Carnival | Keeper of the Home
• Healthy Holiday Recipes: Incredibly Yummy Homemade Egg Nog | Keeper of the Home
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• Sweet and Sour Lentils | Keeper of the Home

Living somewhere foreign is an excellent way to challenge yourself to make more foods from scratch. While living in Japan, I missed North American food so very much (though I definitely like Japanese food as well). At times, I went to great lengths to make something that tasted like home.

Like the time I made my own wheat-free lasagna noodles because I was 10 weeks pregnant and craving lasagna like nobody's business. Or my attempt to re-create a Thanksgiving "turkey" by covering up a mound of stuffing with slices of chicken breast, then wrapping with foil and baking (the answer is a resounding NO, it didn't work, but at least I thought it was a valiant effort to make up for the unavailability of whole chickens/turkeys for roasting).

My most successful recreation attempt, however, was for that undeniably delicious and oh-so-Christmas-sy of drinks, egg nog. My husband hasn't stopped talking about it in nearly 6 years, so I guess it must have made an impression! We wanted to surprise our Japanese friends, so we threw a Christmas party in our itsy bitsy apartment and made them goodies like chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, apple cider, and the belle of the ball, egg nog. Here's the recipe:

Incredibly Yummy Homemade Egg Nog

*Inspired by the Egg Nog recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook*

Makes about 10 small (4 oz) serving, or 5-6 larger servings.

6 beaten egg yolks (free range is best)

2 1/4 cups whole milk (raw, if available)

1/3 cup unrefined sugar, like Rapadura or Sucanat (I bet Coconut/Palm sugar would also work, though I haven't tried it)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream (avoid ultra-pasteurized)

2 Tbsp unrefined sugar, or 1 Tbsp honey, or a few drops or maybe 1/2 packet of Stevia (just enough to add a touch of sweetness)

Ground nutmeg

(Note: You may want to begin the recipe the day before you want the egg nog- it's an easy recipe, but does need time to chill properly)

1) In a medium pot, mix the egg yolks, milk and the 1/3 cup sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just coats a metal spoon (see photo). Remove from heat. Place pot in a sink or bowl of ice water and stir for 2 minutes to cool mixture off a little. Stir in vanilla. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours.

2) When you're ready to serve:

Beat the whipping cream and 2 Tbsp of sugar (or sugar alternative) until soft peaks form.

3) Transfer the chilled egg/milk/sugar mixture to a punch bowl. Fold in the whipped cream. Serve immediately. Sprinkle each serving with nutmeg. If you find it a little too thick or too sweet, simply stir in a bit of milk to thin it out.

You'll never want to go back to the store bought variety again, and with lots of nourishing ingredients like eggs and raw milk, egg nog can actually be a legitimate once-in-a-while treat! Wondering about the whole issue of too many fats? See why my family liberally eats of good, whole fat foods, and yes, even saturated fats.

Looking for more nourishing holiday recipes? Make sure you check out the Health Holiday Eats and Sweet Carnival!

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

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