All posts by Bethany Berg

Bulk Cooking, Crockpot, Food & Recipes, Freezer to Crockpot, Recipes, Soup

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Total Time: 6-8 hours
Yield: 8

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

Ingredients

  • 1 large organic onion, diced
  • 3 organic stalks of celery, diced
  • 5 organic cloves of garlic, minced
  • 10 oz of organic carrots, shredded
  • 8 oz nitrate/nitrite free organic ham, diced
  • 1 qt. of organic chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 TBSP curry powder
  • 2 TBSP Sugar in the Raw
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients into a large crock pot.
  2. Stir lightly to combine.
  3. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.
  4. Use immersion blender to smooth out some of the chunks, if you like. I leave mine lumpy and just mix it a bit with a spoon.
  5. Garnish with a dollop of fresh organic plain yogurt, or some shredded cheese, if desired.

BULK COOKING INSTRUCTIONS


For Bulk Cooking, I quadruple this recipe using two large crock pots.  In EACH crock pot I add:

2 large onions, diced

6 organic stalks of celery, diced

10 organic cloves of garlic, minced

20 oz. organic carrot, shredded

16 oz. of nitrate/nitrite free ham, diced

2 qts. chicken broth

4 cups water

2 TBSP curry powder

4 TBSP Sugar in the Raw

2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp dried sage

2 tsp dried thyme

Cook as directed above.  Cool completely and divide each crock pot contents into two gallon-size freezer bags, yielding four bags in all.  Lay flat and freeze to stack horizontally.  Don’t forget to label your bags with date and contents.

FREEZER TO CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS

Take frozen soup out of freezer and run under warm water long enough for the soup to release from the sides of the bag.  Cook in your crock pot on low setting until warmed through and steaming hot.

Crockpot, Recipes, Sides

Crock Pot Beets

2 Comments

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 12-16 hours
Total Time: 12-16 hours
Yield: varies
Serving Size: 1 beet

Crock Pot Beets

Ingredients

  • 12 Beets (or however many you can fit in bottom of crock pot) , variety of your choice

Instructions

  1. Scrub beets well and place in crock pot.
  2. Cook on low setting for 12-16 hours, or until beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Time will vary depending on the size and variety you have chosen.
  3. To peel beets, run under cold water while rubbing skins off with your fingers.
  4. Eat as is, or use in desired recipe.
Appetizers, Food & Recipes, Sides

Balsamic Glazed Beets With Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: approximately 1 whole beet with toppings

Balsamic Glazed Beets With Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Ingredients

    • 6 Cooked and Peeled Beets (directions here )
    • 6 TBSP organic goat cheese
    • 6 TBSP organic Balsamic Glaze (directions here )
    • 24 Pistachios (salted or unsalted – your preference)
For the beets
    • 6 medium beets
For the glaze

Instructions

  1. Slice beets into 1/4 inch slices.
  2. Divide beets evenly among 6 appetizer plates.
  3. Sprinkle goat cheese on top of beets.
  4. Top each plate with 4 pistachios.
Book Reviews, Curriculum, Elementary, Homeschooling, Middle School, Preschool

Explode the Code

When people ask if I can recommend curriculum for teaching children to read, I always mention the Explode the Code series. Explode the Code is a sequential approach to teaching phonics. I used this series as a major component in teaching all of my school-age children to read. There is a pre-reading series that I highly recommend completing before starting with book 1 of Explode the Code. You may notice that some books have “1/2” increments. These books provide further practice at a level if you feel your student has not fully mastered a level. For example, buy Book 2 1/2 if your student needs more reinforcement of book 2 skills. Continue reading Explode the Code →

Bars and Brownies, Desserts, Food & Recipes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Maple Blondies with Flax

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1 slice

Whole Wheat Maple Blondies with Flax
A healthy version of the famous Blondie brownie! The kids won’t even notice there is flax seed hidden inside these Whole Wheat Maple Blondie brownies 🙂

Ingredients

  • 1 stick organic salted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup soft white wheat berries (or use 1 cup whole wheat flour)
  • 1/4 cup organic flax seed
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 TBSP organic maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp natural salt
  • 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
  • 1/4 organic baking powder
  • 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grind the wheat into flour in your Nutrimill
  3. Grind the flax seed.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, flax seed, salt, baking powder, and baking soda
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together.
  6. Continue to whisk the egg mixture while adding the maple syrup and and the melted butter.
  7. Add the brown sugar to the wet ingredients while stirring to dissolve the sugar crystals.
  8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to fully incorporate.
  9. (Stir in chocolate chips at this time if desired)
  10. Spread the batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch round pie pan or Pyrex dish.
  11. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch and the edges are golden brown.
Breads, Food & Recipes, Home Management, Kitchen Tools

Organized Baking Station

2 Comments

Milling your own flour is not much more time consuming than scooping a cup out of a store bought bag of flour IF you have everything you need organized and ready to go each time you need flour for a recipe.  You can learn all about milling your own grain HERE but if you would like to streamline the milling process as well as other baking activities you need to have an organized baking station first.  I have tried many approaches and through trial and error I have come up with an organized baking station that works perfectly for me.  It enables me to prepare bread dough for the bread machine in less than 5 minutes. Continue reading Organized Baking Station →

Breads, Food & Recipes, Kitchen Tools, Product Reviews

Milling Your Own Grain

3 Comments

When I tell people I mill my own grain they look at me like I’m some kind of freak that spends all day working away to produce flour for my family.  The truth is that I can mill the flour I need for a recipe faster than most people can make a piece of toast and just as easily.  Milling your own grain is quick, easy, and healthier for you than store bought “dead” flour.  If you have never milled your own grain to prepare fresh flour before you owe it to yourself to give it a try and see for yourself just how easy it is. Continue reading Milling Your Own Grain →

Breads, Breakfast, Food & Recipes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Waffles with Flax

For years when I “made” waffles for my kids it just involved grabbing some frozen processed discs from the freezer and throwing them into the toaster for a couple of minutes.  After I started milling my own grain and making my own bread it occurred to me that I could make other things out of freshly milled grain…like cookies, pancakes, and waffles.  Store-bought frozen waffles seem so processed now that we have become accustomed to the real thing.  Below is my recipe for delicious homemade whole wheat waffles.  This recipe has been refined and improved over the years to reach this current version.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Continue reading Whole Wheat Waffles with Flax →

Book Reviews, Books, Homeschooling, Product Reviews

Classic Starts (Classic Literature for Kids)

Classic literature is a foundational element of any good homeschooling regimen.  However, many elementary school students are not prepared to devour the classics in their entirety.  That is precisely  why I was thrilled to discover the “Classic Starts” series published by Sterling Publishing Company.  This is an excellent product at an excellent price.  I love these books because they have exposed my children to some wonderful literature without tapping into their reading frustration levels.  I highly recommend this series.  Continue reading Classic Starts (Classic Literature for Kids) →

Appetizers, Chicken, Food & Recipes, Recipes, Sides

Fruited Whole Wheat Tabbouleh with Goat Cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Fruited Whole Wheat Tabbouleh with Goat Cheese

I distinctly recall the very first time I tried tabbouleh. It was in Morocco.

Okay… it was in Epcot’s Morocco. It was way back when we had only two little ones to cart around Disney. We had stopped at one of the little sidewalk restaurants for a little respite from the sun and to have a little snack. At the time I had never even heard of the word tabbouleh. The entry on the menu board piqued my interest, and I just had to sample the salad with such an unusual name. As soon as that first spoonful crossed my lips, I was instantly grateful. The bright, flavorful mixture of herbs, grains, and citrus was intriguing. What a fresh new taste!

I have had many tabbouleh variations since then, and they have all been good. However, I recently decided to create a tabbouleh that even my kids would like. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole grain quick-cooking whole wheat bulgur
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 pound cooked chicken breast, chopped
  • 1 pound pineapple, diced
  • 8 oz strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 cucumber, seeded, peeled, and diced
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 1 0z. mint, cut into thin ribbons
  • 1/4 cup garlic rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 2 TBSP honey
  • 1 TBSP Sugar in the Raw
  • 1/2 cup Goat Cheese

Instructions

  1. Pour boiling water over bulgur and let sit at least one hour.

  1. In a large bowl or serving platter l, toss the chicken, pineapple, strawberries, cucumber, shallots, and mint together.

  1. In a separate container, whisk the vinegar, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, honey, and sugar together until mixed well.

  1. Pour over bulgur mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

  1. Garnish with goat cheese and strawberry slices if desired.

  1. There you have it. Simple. Fresh. Healthy. And the kids loved it!