Life is Beautiful

I can't believe we now have 3 kids... wow. If you told me 10 years ago that I would be a missionary living in the rural area of Honduras with 3 beautiful kids and my hubby. I probably would've try to run away... like Jonah! LOL!

Honestly... life here is hard and a daily struggle, but I am so glad I am not truly alone. I have my best friend and husband, Jon, to keep me going each day. I have my relationship with my Lord to keep me focus on my calling as a wife and mother. I have my 2 girls and little man to keep me plenty busy!

I am daily learning what it means to die to myself and serve my family. It is a long, challenging road and I always remind myself... "God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it"... It is my daily prayer to meet each new day with a light heart, joyful attitude and LOTS of singing  :o)

Please enjoy our new family pictures!

Where's Tabi? LOL!

Sweet Sisters

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Sourdough Journal #1: Making the Starter

I caught some yeast! I now have a Honduran Sourdough Starter... how fun is that?! (Sorry about the picture. I was holding Tobi while trying to take a picture using my Mac camera... that's the reason why you can't see the many bubbles, I was moving it around too much.)

Anyway, it has been 3 weeks today since I started my starter. I was surprised by how easy it was to make it... you just need A LOT of patience (which I don't have a lot of!) and not be afraid to experiment (which I am usually terrified to do because I HATE failures!). It was fun watching my starter slowly grow over the last two weeks. It took a while for it to take off because our home is so breezy and cool. I threw the starter in the dehydrator a few times and that seemed to help get it going on a steady pace of rising and showing life (LOTS of bubbles). I also didn't worry too much about how much I was feeding it as long as I was feeding it! I found that some people like to weight their flour or at least measure it accurately when feeding their sourdough and baking. I am finding that I am pretty spontaneous when it comes to feeding my starter... sometimes I might throw a little extra flour in or give it less water or not feed it at all!  Why?


My guess is the feeling of just learning what its needs are and eyeballing it  :o)  If I don't get a lot of action after its previous feeding... I just give it a stir and put it somewhere warmer, like my dehydrator. If I get lots of action... I scoop out only a 1/4 of the starter and give it extra flour/water. Most of the time is it pretty much the same... scoop out half and feed it 1/4 cup flour and water. Again, its all experimental and everyone's sourdough is unique because no home environment is the same!


If you are interested... I kept a journal of my starter's progress over the last two weeks. If you are not interested in reading, then scroll on past  :o)

March 7th
PM- Started the sourdough starter with fresh hard white wheat flour and water. Out it in a quart glass jar, stirred it up like crazy and covered with muslin cloth.


March 8th
AM- No life yet. Think it was too cold last night to get going. Stirred it vigorously and set it on my toaster oven for the day. I turned it on a few times throughout the day to give the starter some warmth. Stirred it again around noon... there was water floating on top.


PM- Still no life. Stirred it up again and left it with a little prayer.


March 9th
AM- Water on top, but see a little life (bubbles). Instead of removing 1/2 of the starter like the instruction says... I added 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Stirred it crazily and covered with cloth.


PM- Still seeing a separation of water and wheat. Seeing a little more life (bubbles). Stirred it, scooped out half the starter, fed it and stirred it again. Left it covered with muslin cloth as usual.


March 10th
AM- Still seeing the water floating. Still see life, but not much more than yesterday. Stirred, scooped out half, added more flour and water, stirred it like a crazy woman and said another prayer!


PM- Same as this morning (AM)


March 11th
AM- Yeaaa! Seeing a rise in activity (more bubbles) and the starter has grown! Still seeing water floating in the middle of the wet dough (why is it doing that?!), not floating on top. Scooped out half the starter, fed it and stirred it up for the day.


NOTE: I've been saving all the starter that have been scooped out. I hate waste and decided to give my chickens the discarded starter. I put it all in a bowl and let it sit out till full. Then I brought it out to my chickens... they attacked the sourdough with love  :o)


PM- Seeing more bubbles, but not enough to satisfy me. Decided to give it a strong stir and leave it for the night. No scooping out 1/2 or feeding it. Said another prayer and went to bed.


March 12th
AM- The starter seems to be rising, but there is a layer of water near the bottom (again). Gave it a crazy stir, scooped out half, fed it and stirred it again. To help the starter along, I put it in my dehydrator and left it on low.


Noon- Checked the starter and was THRILLED to see that is has doubled its size with LOTS of bubbles! Woohoo!


PM- No water at the bottom. Good activity! Stirred, scooped out half, fed it and stirred it again. Said a prayer of thanks and went to bed.


March 13th
AM- Starting to look stronger and consistent with bubbles. No water at the bottom. Stirred, scooped out half, fed it and stirred it like crazy. I put it back in the dehydrator for the day.


PM- Same as this morning (AM), but did not put it back in the dehydrator.


March 14th
AM & PM- Showing lots of bubbles and life. Didn't rise as much as it did yesterday. Did the usual and kept it out in room temperature.


March 15th
AM & PM- Same as yesterday.


March 16th
AM- Starting to look a little flat. Did the usual with a little extra flour and warm water.


PM- Rose beautifully and smells slightly sour. So HAPPY! Did the usual and went to bed.


March 17th
AM- Getting more consistent and strong. Did the usual and showed my friend how to care for it over the weekend while my hubby and I went to a missionary retreat.


March 19th
PM- Came home and found my starter dry & dead. My friend kept adding flour, but forgot to add water!! LOL! Thankfully she faithfully scooped out the starter and stored it in another glass bowl to give to the chickens... but decided to wait till I got home. Whew! I was able to use the "discarded" starter to keep going. I simply poured what I needed into a new jar, fed it, stirred like crazy and went to bed.


March 20th and onward...
Woohoo! Alive and strong! So many bubbles. Whew!

Now, I think we (the starter and I) are ready to tackle some of the easy recipes... crackers and pancakes. I think we'll start with the crackers because it is easy and I've made crackers many times before using the soaking method. We've always enjoyed them, but now I am going to enjoy sourdough crackers even more because of the wonderful benefits. I don't think I will go back to the soak method version if these turn out as good as I hope  :o)


I am REALLY enjoying Wardee and Erin's Sourdough eCourse. I am so grateful for all their hard work to bring us the most simple e-Course out there. Honestly, I was turned off by the idea of making sourdough because it seemed so complicated and overwhelming. I tried a few times to make sourdough bread and it came out pretty good, but not good enough. I check out some of the popular sourdough sites, but didn't quite "get it"... if you know what I mean  :o)


Anyway, in the e-Course they have transcripts of interviewing three cooks (Wardee, Erin and Katie from Kitchen Stewardship) who all have VERY different styles and methods of caring for their sourdough. I found that really helpful and encouraging. One thing I learned is that there is no "set way" of creating your sourdough starter and caring for it... Wardee feeds her starter once a week, does big batches of sourdough cooking once a week and uses fresh flour. Erin leaves her starter out on the counter, uses it everyday and uses store-bought flour. Katie is random and doesn't have a schedule with her starter, uses both fresh and store-bought flours and she still gets great results!


Shows that yeast will thrive if you give it a good environment and time!


I will write again soon and share about my first sourdough experience with crackers. I hope many of you will join in with me on my sourdough adventure! Thanks for reading along and sharing your thoughts and shouts below  :o)

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My Sourdough Journal

Great News! I am now part of Wardeh's (from GNOWFGLINS) amazing Sourdough eCourse and SO excited to get going. I've decided to journal my way through this e-course and hope you will join me through my highs and lows of baking with sourdough.


So, why did I join the e-course? Well, I ventured out a little when we lived in Costa Rica and was able to make a few loafs, but that was all. I tried to pick it up again after living in Honduras for a while, but I honestly had NO clue what I was doing, killed my starter and gave up. What I needed was a class or a good step-by-step book to get me going again and help me gain confident. I searched online whenever I could, but found NOTHING that suit me... imagine my frustration!


Then a few months later... I learned about Wardeh's Sourdough eCourse. After taking a quick peek into the eCourse... I knew this was the one I've been looking and praying for! Well laid out, engaging and simple... everything I have been looking for in a sourdough course/book.

I watched her Sourdough Video and was hooked... Sourdough is truly not just for bread anymore... imagine yourself making healthy, probiotic-rich Chocolate Cake, pizza, corn muffins, English Muffins, waffles, Spice Cake, crepes, shortcake (pictured above), Tortillas and much more! She made it looked so easy and beautiful. I am already daydreaming about all the stuff I want to make with sourdough... I really hope I get good at it!


This week I am going to try and build up my sourdough starter from scratch. Wardee did a WONDERFUL job of showing how it can easily be done using whole wheat flour. Please pray that it goes well!


I hope many of you will join me in this exciting & scary adventure of learning the art of making sourdough.


Alright... Deeep breath... Here I go!

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Thyme for Roasted Garlic Chicken (Crockpot or Oven)

I LOVE garlic! I feel like I could never have too much garlic. I know some people who can't stand the smell or taste of garlic, but I love it. The smell is so warm and spicy... the taste is so rich and satisfying.

Yeah, I can't get enough of this wonderful, immune-boosting herb!

How many of you love a simple roasted chicken with lots of pepper, sea salt and a herb or two?

Now, take it a step further and add 30-40 cloves of garlic... Ahhh! The smells coming out of my oven was amazing.

The taste was indescribably gar-licious.

Of course, I had to save all that good fat in the bottom of my pot. I took all the garlic, fat drippings and mashed it up into a thick gravy-like sauce. I usually serve this over rice or baked potato wedges.

Oh man, I need to make some soon... but I will have to wait till Tobi is a little older. Don't want to make his little tummy gassy from all that garlic! LOL!

Thyme for Roasted Garlic Chicken

1 chicken (preferably free-ranged)

4-6 whole heads of garlic

several fresh thyme sprigs

sea salt and pepper

2-4 Tbsp coconut or olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 F

Break the heads of garlic. Crush them (using a rock is great) and peel the paper skin off. Stuff about 20 cloves of crushed garlic in the chicken. Put the rest under and on top of the chicken in a roasting pan or pot.

Pull the thyme leaves off the sprigs, but save a few still on the sprigs. Crush them with your fingers. Stuff some inside the chicken and sprinkle the rest over the chicken. Throw in some sprigs on top. (NOTE: If you don't have fresh thyme, dried works great OR/AND you can use your favorite choice of herb.)

Season with sea salt and fresh pepper to your liking. I always use a lot... especially on top where the skin will get crispy. SO YUMMY!

Pour oil over the chicken and cover.

Cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. If you would like the skin to be crispy (highly recommend it! It's my girls' favorite part), simply take the cover off and let it cook for another 30 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn!

If you are using the crockpot... do everything above and turn the cooker on low for 7-8 hours or 5-6 hours on high. If you desire to have that crispy skin... turn your oven on to 400 F and take the cover off the cooker. Let it cook until skin is crispy, about 30 minutes.

Next, either discard the thyme sprigs or pull the leaves off and sprinkle on the chicken. Put the chicken on a platter. Scoop out all the garlic and fat drippings. Put in a pan with the flame on low. Mash the garlic as much as you can and add in a little arrowroot or flour to thicken the sauce.

Serve with rice or potato wedges and a big salad!

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New Online Lacto-Fermentation Class: Get Cultured!

Have you been aspired to learn how to make naturally fermented food, but don’t know where to start? Feel a little bemused? Intimidated? Overwhelmed?


Now you can overcome those feelings with this awesome online lacto-fermentation class, Get Cultured! How to Ferment Anything, done by Jenny of Nourished Kitchen.


Go Get Cultured!

Learn how to ferment/culture with dairy, coconut milk, veggies, fruit, grains, soybeans, meat, fish and much more!


Would it be wonderful to learn how to make homemade probiotic-rich ketchup, hot chili sauce, mayonnaise & barbecue sauce? How about some delicious sauerkraut & salsa? Cured meat & fish? Honey wine & Beet kvass? Sourdough? Fruit chutneys?


Click here to see the intensive list of lessons this class offers!


See for Yourself!

Want to make the foods you already eat even better? Want to enhance immunity and increase digestion? Fermentation, the same practice that gives yogurt its tartness and bread its rise, is the answer. The process of lactic-acid fermentation actually increases vitamins, enzymes and beneficial bacteria naturally present in all foods – improving flavor, enhancing digestion and boosting immunity. It’s a simple and easy solution that greatly improves the nutritive value of the foods we all consume. –Jenny of Nourished Kitchen

The Package

When you join this 13-week class, you will get full lifetime access to:
50 video tutorials
100 recipes
60 tutorials
Regular conference calls to get your questions answered


PLUS a free 36 page e-book, Get Cultured: Probiotic Recipe from the Nourished Kitchen, thrown in with the package!

Sign Up and Get Culturing!
Enrollment ends February 28th and class starts March 4th


Sign up with a one-time payment of $149 and get full lifetime access to all 13 classes, video lessons, recipes, online forum and regular conference calls to get your questions answered.


Lifetime access? Oh yeah! Once you are enrolled, you can go back through all 13 classes, video lessons and recipes as much as you want. Learn it all in your own pace!


$149? This is a sweet deal! For less than $12 per lesson, you can learn the art of lacto-fermentation right in your own kitchen. You will become a pro in no time! Remember, you will have full LIFETIME access to all 13 classes, video lessons and recipes with a FREE e-book thrown into the deal!


Psst! This is a special launch price… the price of the class will go up after this.


Can’t commit to 13 weeks? No worries! You can sign up for individual classes of your choice for only $20 each.


Save $20!
This is great! Jenny is offering you all a sweet discount. Use the coupon code: SOURPICKLES and get $20 off!


Now start culturing! The coupon expires February 19th and this is the one and only coupon code that will be offered for this class.


Sign up now and get culturing!

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Chunky Monkey Muffins (Gluten-Free)

I am happy to FINALLY pull these yummy guys out of my files. These easy, delicious muffins are great to travel with! I’ve made these the last few times we’ve traveled and love how nutritious these guys are. Full of fiber and protein, yet lightly sweet to satisfy the sweet tooth… these muffins are fantastic alternatives to the awful, expensive airport food.


Dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and wheat-free… these guys are so good that you wouldn’t even know that they are so healthy too! Each bite just simply melts in our mouths. The last time I made these guys… I chopped up some dark chocolate chips to throw in and it was the perfect touch. You can skip the chopping if you want small gobs of chocolate, but we like the tiny bits and how it spreads evenly throughout the muffins… giving us more chocolate with each mouthful :o)


I usually use coconut oil when I bake, but I have a bucket of palm shortening left from my review and wanted to try it out in baking. I noticed that these muffins were very moist and soft when I used the palm shortening… plus if you are not a big fan of the coconut flavor, palm shortening is a good alternative because it has no flavor.


I usually like to use very ripe bananas and only need 1/3 cup of the coconut sugar paste to lightly sweeten the muffins, but if the bananas are not very ripe… then I increase the sweetener little by little till I get the perfect amount of sweetness. You can use raw honey or other for your sweetener, but I love the coconut sugar for its caramel-like flavor, low GI count and rich source of vitamins and minerals… learn more about this fantastic sweetener!


Now, I want to go whip up a batch of these guys!

Chunky Monkey Muffins (Gluten-free)

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1/3-1/2 cup coconut sugar paste or honey
• 1/3 cup melted palm shortening, coconut oil or butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy pecans
• 1/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F and greased the muffin pans.

In a small bowl, mix together coconut flour, sea salt & baking soda. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, coconut sugar, palm shortening, vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet till thoroughly mixed. Fold in mashed bananas, pecans, coconut flakes and chocolate. Scoop batter into muffin tins to 3/4 full, top with more pecans (optional) and bake for 20-30 minutes. When done, let it cool and serve with a big glass of milk!

Please share with me some of your favorite traveling foods!! Hope you will enjoy these guys as much as we do. Let me know what you think and have a wonderful week! Hugs!

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Finally! The Winners Are...

Hello everyone! I am FINALLY announcing the winners of the 3 giveaways that I did almost a year ago. SO SORRY that it took this long and hope it won't happen again! LOL!

The winner of the EcoUsable Giveaway is...

Rachel of jandrdeutscher@------------

Congratulations Rachel and hope you will enjoy the bottles like I do! They have kept us hydrated and healthy through Central America.

Next, the winner of the Heavenly Organics Giveaway is...

Katie of katherinemaestanley@-----------

I am thrilled that Katie won the giveaway... she is a sweet friend from way back when we worked together at Rancho Sordo Mudo. Katie, you MUST make the tres leches cake for the girls. I promise to post the recipe soon! Congratulations and hope you will enjoy the stuff like I did!

Last, the winner of the Action Baby Carrier Giveaway is...

Jessy of jessy.spencer@-----------

Congratulations Jessy and I know you will enjoy the carrier! I saw that they now have some new editions and prints.

Well, that's all of them... for now. I still have a couple more giveaways to post and wrap up. Hope to see you all there leaving your shouts and spreading the news!

Have a wonderful Sunday and new week ahead!

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