My Breakfast Cereal

When I learned that my cholesterol was (really) high two years ago, I started making some changes in my diet. I have made many modifications to it over the past two years, but one thing has stayed the same: my breakfast cereal. It's very high in both kinds of fiber, soluble and insoluble, which help to lower my cholesterol and also to have a feeling of fullness for several hours. You can read about other benefits of a high-fiber diet everywhere on the Internet. This breakfast cereal is one of the changes that has helped me to lower my cholesterol by more than 100 points (mg/dl) — and keep it there.

Several friends who have seen my breakfast cereal have asked me how I make it. It looks sort of like oatmeal but darker. It tastes a little sweeter than other cooked cereal. My seasoning blend is, I think, what sets it apart by the sweetness and flavor it adds. I think that the cinnamon and other spices have health benefits, too.

One batch yields approximately 30 servings. Each serving costs approximately $.50 (U.S.) and provides 14 grams of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, which can help to lower blood cholesterol levels as well as other health benefits.

Seasoning Blend:
1 cup ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground ginger

Set this aside.

1 lb coarse wheat bran
2 18.5-oz boxes oat bran
1 cup seasoning blend (I usually add the remainder to smoothies.)


Pour these 3 ingredients into a very large kettle and mix thoroughly.

Store in oat bran boxes (just emptied) and mason jars.

To use:
Pour 2 scoops (just less than 1/2 cup) cereal mix into a medium bowl. 
Add 1 Tbsp ground flax seed* and stir.
Add 3/4 to 7/8 cup boiling water and stir. Let it rest for a few minutes.
Optional: Add fruit, nuts, and 1/4 almond milk.

* I buy a 1 lb bag of flax seeds and grind them in my Vitamix, then store in the freezer to keep them fresh.

Blessings and peace..

Cranberry Apple Sauce

I made a pretty, nutritious, and yummy side dish that you might want to make to serve at Christmastime. There are only four ingredients: cranberries, apples, cinnamon (optional), and sweetener. So maybe only three. I used my Vitamix and my crockpot, but the recipe could be adapted to leave out the apple peels and hand chop the apples and cranberries, and it could be cooked on top of the stove (or not cooked at all). Another adaptation is to vary the proportion of ingredients, using more or less cranberries/apples, according to taste preference or what you have on hand. I love recipes that can be made in whatever way works for me.

Ingredients:
4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen, washed
12 small or 8 medium or 6 large apples, washed and cored
Sweetener

First, I washed the cranberries.

Then I washed and cored the apples.

I peeled the apples.

I measured the peels: 2 cups.

I Vitamixed them with a little water. Time: about 10 seconds.

I added the cranberries and Vitamixed them, too. Time: about 15 seconds.

I rough chopped the cored and peeled apples and placed them in a crockpot. I added the apple peel and cranberries mixture. I added two sticks of cinnamon after I took this picture. I cooked on low for about an hour.

I removed the cinnamon sticks, added some sweetener to taste, stirred, and spooned some into a dish. Would you like to try some? I put one container of it in the freezer to take with us on Christmas when we will have dinner with dear friends.

p.s. Two quick things about my Vitamix: 1) I was able to minimize waste and optimize nutrition by using my Vitamix to puree the apple peels and 2) it takes about 20 seconds to clean the Vitamix. Really. After I give the container a quick rinse, I put some warm water and a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid (note: not dishwasher detergent), putting on the cover and placing it back on the stand, turning it to High, and Ta Da! It's clean. Rinse and air dry. It is cleaner than if I hand washed it.

Disclaimer: I am an approved affiliate for Vitamix. You can get free standard shipping and handling (a $25 US/$35 CN value) by purchasing through Vitamix and using code 06-007841 when placing your order.

Blessings and peace...

You Can Use Those Outdoor Pumpkins

A friend gave me her great big pumpkin that had been on her front porch since before Halloween. Now, this wasn't one of those little "cooking" or "pie" pumpkins. It's bred (is that the right word for food?) for size and color, I think. It's not bred for using to make a pumpkin pie. But, having some experience with this winter squash, I knew just what I would do with it. (If you're not going to use yours, I can assure you that I will put it to good use!)

I forgot to weigh or measure it. (I'm still getting used to the documentation that accompanies blogging.) When cut up, it filled my large roasting pan, the one that can hold a 20 lb turkey.

First, I scrubbed it with hot, soapy water because, well, you know how nature is. I then cut it up and, using a grapefruit spoon (love those little serrated edges), scooped out the pulp and seeds. I placed the cut-up pumpkin in the large roasting pan, added a little water, covered it, and baked it at 350 degrees F for about 2 hours. I might have cooked it a little longer than necessary. No problem.

Meanwhile, I placed the whole glop of seeds/pulp in a dish and microwaved it (you could simmer it on the stove) for a few minutes, then I let it cool. Then I "whisked" it with a fork (like you would if you were making scrambled eggs, which I'm not these days), and the seeds separated from the pulp quite easily. I ended up with 2 cups of pulp.

When the cooked pumpkin had cooled, I used my grapefruit spoon to separate the skin from the pumpkin. Here’s the skin (not much waste from such a huge pumpkin).

I placed the pulp and some of the pumpkin into my Vitamix blender (for this project, any blender would work) and pureed it. This variety of pumpkin is quite stringy, so pureeing it helps to get the desired consistency. Now it is all as smooth as silk.

I pureed the remainder of the pumpkin and poured it into a stockpot. It was almost 6 quarts of cooked pumpkin!

I used about 1 quart of the pumpkin for tonight's pumpkin (and carrots and kale) soup. I froze 6 pints of cooked pumpkin for soup and smoothies.

I had a few apples to use up, so I have some apple pumpkin butter simmering in the crockpot (recipe follows).

Apple Pumpkin Butter (all amounts are approximate)
4 cups of apples, cored and peeled
1/2 cup water
2 quarts of cooked pumpkin
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Core the apples. Peel the apples and rough chop the peels. Place the peels into the Vitamix and add 1/2 cup water. Turn On, quickly increase the variable speed from 1 to 10, then turn on High. Pour this pretty pink liquid into a large pot or slow cooker.

2. Rough chop the apples and place into the Vitamix. Process about 1/3 to 1/2 at a time. Add a little water if needed. Turn On, quickly increase the variable speed to about 5 or 6, using the tamper as needed to get all of the apples finely chopped. Pour into the large pot or slow cooker. Repeat with remainder of apples.

3. Add the cooked pumpkin and spices. Adjust the spices for your preferences.

4. Cook on the stovetop or slow cooker on Low for 2 hours or more. Pour the finished Apple Pumpkin Butter into containers and chill. Freeze some for later.

Serve on bread, toast, crackers, bagels, banana bread, and muffins. Add to cooked cereal. Serve on pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Use in place of oil and some of the sugar in carrot cake (reduce the other liquid accordingly).

Disclaimer: I am an approved affiliate for Vitamix. You can get free standard shipping and handling (a $25 US/$35 CN value) by purchasing through Vitamix and using code 06-007841 when placing your order.

Blessings and peace...